Rebirth Flame
by Alexis4
Summary: Black magic brings Zack back from the Lifestream. On the run with a mysterious woman, Zack discovers that she has secrets of her own. The past and present collide. Z/OC. Cloti, Yuffentine. M for language & adult content. CC spoilers. Set after DOC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy VII rights and characters including Zack (unfortunately) belong to Square Enix and I'm only borrowing them for a bit. However Callandra, Landson, and Koyoto and all other OC's that I come up with belong to me. Touch without permission and I'll send a Bahamut Fury after you. Enjoy.

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Silently she moved, easing from rock to rock. Wary eyes watched as a large group of men, several in lab coats carefully etched symbols into the dirt, taking painstaking care with every line. Twenty others seemed to be mercenaries and all of them carried guns or swords. Behind them, the ruins of Midgar loomed, a reminder of greed and innocence long past. Next to the men a large sword was embedded in the dirt. She knew that sword. It was a beautiful weapon in its prime and it still was despite the sand and scratches that tarnished the once gleaming blade. She often came here just to run her fingers over the hilt and remember.

One of the scientists stood back from the rest of the group, shoulder length blonde hair meticulously tied back in a ponytail that seemed so tight it must have been painful. Not one strand was allowed to escape. The man features, though handsome, were cruelly chiseled and refined.

_Probably thinks he's too good to get dirty with the rest of them._ Spice colored wavy hair fell into her eyes and the woman pushed it back with a blue-gloved hand. _What are they doing? They don't belong here._

At last, the dark-haired man shooed the others away. "Very good. We are ready to perform the ceremony." He gestured toward the mercenaries. "Be prepared. We don't know how the subject will react."

Not waiting for a response, the blonde scientist reached inside his lab coat and withdrew a small, weathered book.

One hand reached back to one of the blades strapped to her back but still the crouched woman did not move. _I need to know what they're up to first._

Long fingers opened the book to a previously marked page. He began to read from the book in a loud, firm voice, the words in a language that the woman had never heard before.

Still hidden by the large rock formation, the woman's eyes widened as the earth beneath her began to tremble and the sky darkened, nearly black clouds blocking out the sun. The wind lashed over the cliff causing long locks to beat relentlessly against her cheeks. _Okay, whatever this asshole is doing isn't good. Time to move._

Long legs straightened but it was too late. Lightening struck the symbol-covered dirt, sending sand and smoke into the air obscuring the circle's occupants from sight for several long moments.

Finally, the wind cleared the smoke and debris, leaving only the faint smell of sulphur lingering in the air. Pale green eyes widened at the sight revealed. Lying amongst the now obliterated symbols lay a young man, face framed in soft, spiky, raven locks. The muscled form was dressed in a black uniform. As the cliff's occupants watched, his chest heaved drawing in a deep breath.

"Sonofabitch," the woman whispered, her mind filled with a long ago seen photograph, "They brought him back!"

Easing slowly from behind her rock to another closer to the group she kept her eyes trained on the scene before her. The man's eyes fluttered open and even from her hiding spot she could see the rich sky blue of his eyes.

"SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair," the blonde announced, satisfaction drenching every word.

The man moaned and rolled painfully to his side, pushing himself up leaning heavy on his arm. "Why'd you bring me back," he demanded, voice shaking with anger, "What the fuck do you want!"

"I need your assistance Mr. Fair," the blonde replied calmly, watching with keen interest as Zack climbed first to his knees and then unsteadily to his feet. "My name is Dr. Koyoto. I recently found some files belong to the late Dr. Hojo and I'm afraid I'll need you to come with us."

"_Hojo,_" Zack found the name left his mouth feeling soiled, "I want nothing to with anything that bastard did. You had no right to do this!"

"The pursuit of science gives me every right, Mr. Fair," Koyoto said with continuing calm. "Now, please, come quietly. You'll only make my work harder if we're forced to damage you."

Moving quicker than anyone would have thought Zack capable of in his current condition the SOLDIER wrapped his hands around the hilt of the Buster Sword grunt as exhausted muscles heaved it free of the dirt. "I'm not going anywhere."

Sighing, Koyoto turned to one of the mercenaries. "Mr. Landson. I believe this is what I hired you for?"

"Yes, sir," Landson grinned, "Last chance, pal."

Glaring, Zack lifted the Buster Sword into a ready position. He wanted to laugh. He was exhausted and his entire body quivered with weakness. Once again he was facing a battle he couldn't win.

"I don't think it's very nice to pick on someone you just brought back from the dead."

All eyes spun to the woman emerging from behind a large boulder. In each hand, she held a gunblade. These were not like ones that Zack had seen during his days in SOLDIER but instead each blade was an elegant katana, sleek and deadly. The guns sat on the top, dull edge, and were heavily adorned with gilded carvings.

"Who are you?" Koyoto barked angrily, "This isn't any of your business."

Slowly, the woman lifted her eyes and smirked when a shudder ripped through Koyoto's body. Zack too was frozen in disbelief. _Those eyes. . . I've only known one person with those eyes._

"Callandra," Koyoto declared, excitement and fear vibrating in his voice, "I read about you in Hojo's secret files. I had wondered what became of you."

Callandra smiled, the hateful expression not belong on the sweet face, "And now you know," she said dryly. "I'm only going to give one chance, Koyoto, leave and forget that this ever happened."

"Leave?" the scientist sneered, "It's take me years to find the necessary spell to revive Fair. I won't let him go now."

Callandra and Zack both tensed as the whirring of a helicopter approached rapidly.

"It's fortunate that I planned for any difficulties that might spring up," Koyoto laughed.

Not wanting to face a helicopter's guns with Zack so weak, Callandra leapt into the air, a spinning blur of flashing blades.

Forcing flashes of that final battle from his battered mind, Zack forced his sluggish body to move, the Buster Sword slicing easily through the flesh of the nearest mercenary even though it had long been exposed to the harsh elements.

Admist sprays of blood and the bark of her guns, Callandra fought to Zack's side.

"Who the hell are you?" Zack panted, already feeling his strength fading.

"I'm not them," she retorted, "And right now that should be enough."

"You got a point," Zack rasped, "Any ideas?"

"Do you think you can run for it?" Callandra demanded, blade snapping up to deflect a bullet.

_Not really,_ he thought. But he said, "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"As usual."

"Stay close," the red head ordered beginning to advance.

Zack had enough to do with trying to keep his own focus and not collapsing in exhaustion but he saw enough to realize that the woman was good. _Really good. Almost as good as . . ._

"This way!" Callandra called, "Run! Just go! I'll be right behind you."

Stumbling more than running, Zack staggered in the direction indicated. There was a familiar crack and the smell of ozone and then Callandra was beside him, pulling one of his arms over her thin shoulders, and dragging him away from the cliff.

Ahead, Zack saw a waiting motorcycle. "Thank Gaia," he murmured.

"Get on!" Callandra snapped, leaping onto the seat.

As quickly as possible, Zack climbed on behind her, mind flashing to last time he'd been on a bike. _Not now._

"Hold on!" The woman revved the engine, pulling out sending a spray of sand pouring down over their pursuers.

Exhausted, Zack wrapped his arms around her waist hoping as he lost consciousness that he wouldn't fall off the bike.

"Shit!" Callandra muttered as she felt Zack go limp behind her. One hand reached down, getting a tight grip on the hands encircling her thin waist. Risking a glance over her shoulder she saw the helicopter had landed probably to pick up Koyoto and then resume pursuit.

"Just the opportunity I needed." Gunning the engine, Callandra drove straight into a cave, not slowing even as the path sloped steeply down. Once they were well away from the entrance of the cave, she slowed and switched on the lights illuminating the tunnel. There was little chance of discovery now. The tunnel extended for two miles underground, keeping them safely out of sight. The exit would bring them to the surface just outside of Midgar.

"Just a little further," she told her unconscious passenger, "And then you can rest."

Reaching her destination twenty minutes later, Callandra pulled up outside the building that had been her home for the last three years. The sector five slums were still mostly intact having been protected from meteor by the upper plates. Callandra would have rather lived in the abandoned church but the spiky-haired blonde visited far too frequently and she had not wished to be seen.

Getting off the bike and keeping Zack from pitching to the dirt wasn't easy but she managed.

"Zack?" she called, "Can you hear me?"

"Mmm?"

"Zack, I need to get you inside. Can you stand?" Callandra was doubtful but Zack blinked and using the bike as support got his feet under him. With her assistance, he managed to swing his leg over the bike stumbling slightly.

"Come on," the woman murmured, once again slinging his arm over her shoulders.

Distantly, Zack realized that his companion was tall for a woman, not as tall as he was but still probably stood at 5'8".

"Where are we?" he mumbled, taking in little beyond the wooden floor beneath his feet. _Wish it would stay still._

"Somewhere safe," Callandra replied soothingly, "My home."

Callandra carefully guided Zack to the small bed in which she slept. Pulling back the covers with one hand, she gently eased Zack down onto the mattress.

The raven-haired SOLDIER went willingly, sky-blue eyes blinking dazedly up at her.

"Rest," Callandra instructed, "You are safe here." Her eyes ran assessing over the various injuries Zack had sustained in the fight. None seemed serious but would need to be cleaned and bandaged.

Sleep beckoned insistently but Zack needed to know before he could rest. "W-why are you helping me?"

Sighing, the woman reached down, brushing soft spikes from Zack's fevered forehead. "Because . . . Angeal loved you. And . . . Angeal was my friend."

Zack's eyes snapped open and he tried to sit up. "What?!" Vertigo swept over him and he slumped back to the mattress unable to fight the darkness that blanketed him, head lolling to the side in sleep.

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Well, told you guys I was gonna right another piece and here it is. Let me know what ya think! Remember reviews make me write faster and they let me know what I'm doing right and what I need to change. See you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Removing midnight blue gloves with teeth and fingers, Callandra ran shaking digits through her thick, waist length hair. Pale green eyes ran over her guest as if trying to convince themselves that he was actually there.

"Well," she snorted, "I'm gonna have a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up."

Now bare fingers slid slowly over the raven spikes marveling at the softness. _So young._"Well, Zack," she said to the sleeping SOLDIER, "Let's get you cleaned up a bit, hmmm?"

Efficiently, she set to stripping Zack of his gear, so like her own, placing it carefully to the side. Sliding her arm under muscled shoulders, Callandra eased the sleeping man up so that she could remove his shirt in order to tend the various injuries he'd obtained.

The deepest appeared to be a cut in his right side, from the look of it caused by a blade. Skilled fingers ran over the wound pleased to see that the bleeding had almost stopped. A simple Cure spell would do the trick. Moving away, Callandra shed her midnight blue leather coat and set it on a nearby chair.

Retrieving one of the water jugs, she poured some into a bowl and dug in a drawer for a cloth. Dropping the white cotton into the bowl, she approached the bed, sitting carefully on the edge. With tender fingers, she wiped the dirt from Zack's face and body meticulously cleaning each scrape and wound. A frown tugged at full lips when she came to the bullet burn on his left bicep. _Bastards._

When each wound was clean, Callandra stood, pulling a small green orb from her pocket. Holding the mastered Restore materia in her hand, she cast Cure 2 watching the green mist envelope Zack's body before fading away. Placing the materia back in her pocket, Callandra tugged the comforter up to Zack's shoulders. "Sleep well."

Her gaze shifted to the Bust Sword resting against the foot of the bed. "Angeal . . ." she murmured, wrapping one small hand around the blade and lifting it easily. Looking back at Zack's sleeping form a small smile tugged at facial muscles that had nearly forgotten the gesture. "Well, since it looks like you'll be needed again I'd better get you cleaned up."

Kneeling next the bed, Callandra retrieved her own supplies, then sat down in a wooden chair by the bed. Laying the heavy sword across her lap, she began to wipe away the grime that had covered the magnificent blade with loving strokes. "You'll be good as new."

OOOOOOO

Consciousness returned grudgingly and honestly, Zack wasn't in a hurry to wake up. Instead, he took his time using his senses to determine his surroundings. He felt the soft mattress beneath him and after a moment's concentration realized that someone had undressed him part 

way. _This isn't the Lifestream. Where am I?_ And then . . . it came back to him. _Koyoto._ His eyes drifted open resignedly and scanned the room he was laying in stopping when they rested upon the strange woman who had helped him escape.

Callandra had known he was awake, had sense the change in his breathing. She said nothing, content to give him a few minutes to get his bearings and find his composure. Her features softened when pain-filled eyes found her. "How are you feeling?" she asked, standing and striding to the bed. A lightly callused hand rested on his forehead checking for fever.

"I'm . . . fine," Zack murmured, submitting to the hand on his forehead, "Really."

Knowing eyes gave him a chastising look before the hand lifted returning to her side. "Are you hungry?"

"Who are you?" Zack demanded watching the woman move away.

"Callandra."

"No," Zack frowned, sitting up slowly, "I mean who are you. You're dressed like a SOLDIER First Class and I've only seen one other person with eyes that shade of green. And that was Sephiroth." Zack noted how the woman flinched when he said that name and she looked away. "And how did you know Angeal?"

"I'll answer your questions," Callandra said softly, "But eat first. You need to regain your strength. Oh, I have something for you."

Zack's eyes widen when Callandra pulled away a sheet to reveal the Buster Sword. When he had held it on the cliff it had been dirty and the blade dull from constant bombardment by the winds and sand. Zack had thought vaguely that Angeal would have had a fit if he could have seen his blade. "Holy shit . . ." Zack murmured as the woman lifted the blade presenting it to him the blade cradle across her palms. "You restored it," Zack breathed, "Dreams and honor."

"Yes."

Zack lifted his eyes from the Buster Sword to find Callandra watching him intently. Her eyes lit with warmth and a soft smile took years from her features.

"I'll find us something to eat," Callandra murmured averting her eyes and moving away.

Slightly trembling hands ran over the gleaming surface of the blade. The restoration of the Buster Sword had been a labor of love. Not one speck remained to testify to years of neglect. Even the crevices in the hilt had been painstakingly cleaned until the metal gleamed. _For this more than my freedom, I owe her._

Zack was still clutching the sword when Callandra returned. "They're just military rations," she said apologetically, "I haven't been to a town recently."

Zack accepted the rations, waiting until Callandra a seated herself in the chair before asking, "We're in Midgar?"

"What's left of it, yes," Callandra confirmed. "Of course after Meteor everyone was forced to abandon the city." Those eerie eyes regarded him questioningly, "How much do you remember?"

"Most of it I think," Zack murmured sadly, "Enough."

"What . . . is it like? The Lifestream?" Callandra asked, leaning forward.

"It was . . . peace," Zack whispered, "And damn Koyoto for taking me from it."

Callandra sat back taking a thoughtful bite of the bland rations. "You're not happy to be alive again?"

Zack shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Callandra said dryly, "I might surprise you."

"We were together again," Zack said after a long pause, "Me and Aerith. We were together and we were happy. And that _bastard_ took her away from me again!" Zack flung the half-eaten rations aside and started pacing the small room. _Oh Aerith . . . I can't do this . . ._

"Aerith Gainsborough. The Ancient," Callandra mused.

Zack spun around, eyes sparking in agitation, "How do you know all of this? I think it's time _you_ explained a few things. Starting with why your eyes are like that!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Callandra retorted, "You heard Koyoto. I was one of Hojo's experiments."

"That doesn't explain the SOLDIER uniform or how you knew Angeal."

Callandra sighed, and spoke, voice detached. "Hojo determined that a female's genetic structure could be more compatible with the Jenova cells than a man's if a few modifications were made. Not that there wouldn't be women with a strong negative reaction just less of a likelihood of it occurring. So, Hojo got permission from the President to find a female subject and try and reproduce his previous experiments."

"You mean Sephiroth," Zack said grimly.

"Yes," Callandra admitted in a pain voice. "I was raised within Shinra. I-I think I remember having parents but I'm not sure. I guess it doesn't matter. I was injected with Jenova cells on a bi-weekly basis."

"Why were you such a secret?"

"It was unheard of for a woman to enter SOLDIER, as I'm sure you're aware. And the company wanted to avoid any criticism it might face conducting such an experiment on a woman. So, I was yet another secret. Angeal, Genesis and . . . Sephiroth were my friends and only family."

"How old were you?" Zack asked.

"When Angeal became your mentor I was fourteen."

"Fourteen!" Zack yelled, "Damn Hojo."

"Sephiroth faced similar things from the moment of his birth," Callandra reminded him.

"And look what happened!" Zack bit out.

"At that age I was already being sent on missions," she pressed on.

Are you trying to tell me that you're as strong as Sephiroth?" Zack sounded skeptical.

"No," Callandra smirked. "He was stronger. But . . ." Suddenly the Buster Sword was torn from his grasp and the redhead stood before him, the blade pressed to his throat. " . . . I am faster."

"I, uh, see," Zack gulped, taking his sword back, "So no else knew about you?"

"Very few," she shrugged, "Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth were the only SOLDIERS. There were one or two Turks who knew out of necessity."

"Sounds lonely," Zack murmured.

Callandra looked down, "Not until Genesis and Angeal . . ." she trailed off.

"Yeah."

"What will you do now?" Callandra changed the subject, "Koyoto isn't likely to give up."

"I don't care about that psycho," Zack said, "I need to go to Edge."

"Edge?"

Ghostly memories (no pun intended) flitted through Zack's mind, memories of watching Cloud struggle and suffer. "I need to find Cloud."

"Cloud . . . Strife?"

"You know him?"

"No," Callandra shook her head, "But the entire planet knows of him." Her face went blank and her tone flat, "After all, he and AVALANCHE did defeat Sephiroth."

Zack sighed, remembering that day in Nibelheim when they nightmare had begun. "Guess you're right." The brunette cocked his head questioningly, "Do you hold it against them?" he asked softly. "That they killed Sephiroth?"

"No," Callandra said softly. Her eyes met his, "Just like I don't hate you because you killed Angeal."

The First Class staggered back. "Y-you know?"

"Of course I know," she said, "Sephiroth told me."

"I hated myself," Zack said, looking away.

"Don't," Callandra said earnestly, laying a hand on his arm, "Angeal wouldn't want that. You let him die as a SOLDIER. If you chose you then it was because he trusted you." She yanked her hand back nervously.

"I-I know," Zack whispered, "Angeal was there . . . in the Lifestream, you know. When I died, he came for him himself."

Looking up from the floor Zack was surprised to find Callandra smiling with relief. "What?"

"If you saw Angeal on the other side," she said, "That means that one day, I will too." Realizing that this was a difficult subject for Zack, she once again changed the subject.

"So, you and Strife are friends?"

"Yeah," Zack gave a small grin, "We hit it off right away." The smile faded. "That day on the cliffs . . . I died protecting him. I never regretted it but . . . Cloud took it hard. He's never forgiven himself. He's finally doing better but I can't let him live with that guilt anymore. I _have_ to find him."

_No wonder Angeal was so proud of him._

"You'll need to be careful," she reminded him.

"What about you?" Zack said, "Koyoto will probably come looking for you. After all, you're as close to Sephiroth as he'll ever come."

"You're probably right," the red head admitted. "But, I really don't have anywhere else to go. And I've been here so long."

"You'll come with me," Zack decided.

"Pardon me?"

"You'll come to Edge with me," he repeated, "We'll be safer together."

"Go to Edge?" Callandra looked down thoughtfully. _There's nothing for me in Edge. Yet, there's nothing for me here either. I'd have to face . . ._ She looked up at Zack's hopeful face and suddenly understood why Angeal had been so lenient with his protégé. _Oh gods, puppy dog eyes. Shit. Not fair._

"Okay," Callandra conceded, "I'll go with you." _I'm sooo gonna regret this._

"Awesome!" Zack grinned, "I want to get started A.S.A.P." Zack looked sheepish. "Do you know how to get there? Edge wasn't built yet when I . . .uh . . . left."

"No road maps in the Lifestream, hmmm?" Callandra teased.

"Not so much." Zack grinned back.

"Hopeless," she smirked, "But, yes, I can get us there. It's only a few miles. Just far enough that the inhabitants don't have to look at Midgar's ruins every day. I know you're in a hurry but you need to rest some more. Plus it will be dark soon anyway. We can leave in the morning."

Nodding, Zack headed towards the door. "Sounds like a plan. I need to stretch my legs a bit. I won't be long."

"Don't go far," Callandra cautioned, "It's possible that Koyoto may decided to search the city."

Zack waved dismissively. "I'll be careful. Trust me."

Running a hand through her hair as the door closed behind Zack, she murmured, "How did Angeal deal with both of us at once? The man was a saint."

* * *

**Amberblood: **_So how was that? There's still a lot more that Callandra is hiding but how was that for developing her a little more? I've never played KH so I don't know about Vexen. I keep meaning to but haven't gotten around to it. There are some similiarities between Genesis and _

_Callandra. You'll also see similarities with Angeal and Sephiroth as the story goes on. I just have to be careful to do that but allow her to be her own person too. And of course I know who you are. I'm actually reading one of your stories __**Full Circle**__. Which I hope you update soon. LOL. Anyway thanks for the review and don't worry about yacking my ear off I love it!!_

**Black-Valentine-1992:**_ Glad you like it! Is this soon enough? LOL._


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it," Zack growled as soon as the door to Callandra's small dwelling closed behind him. "_Aerith._ Oh Gaia." Both hands swept through spiky black hair. The SOLDIER strode to the dilapidated house next door and sent one fist slamming through the wood. Splinters rained down through the air like jagged confetti. "That _bastard._"

_It's not forever, silly. We'll be together again._

Zack jumped. "Aerith?" No answer. The raven-haired youth started walking, his feet carrying him easily in the direction of the church. It wasn't far and a sigh left him as his eyes fell upon the beloved building. Reverently, Zack eased open the door somewhat surprised to find that it opened easily under his hand. _Though, I guess I shouldn't be. Cloud still comes here sometimes._ Stepping inside, the cerulean gaze swept over the pews and the small pond that stood in place of Aerith's flowerbed.

"It's the same," he breathed, "But it's not." No flower girl awaited him with a sweet smile and brilliant green eyes. Walking further into the building, Zack knelt next to the pond running his finger through it. This had been Aerith's gift to those stricken with Geostigma and to Cloud. Before everything had gone wrong, he'd spent countless hours here talking to Aerith about nothing and everything. After Angeal's death he'd come here to grieve and in that moment the only thing that had held him together was the feeling of the flower girl's slender arms around his shuddering shoulders and her soft voice whispering in his ear. "It's okay, Zack. Let it out. I'm here."

"I never get a break, do I?" Zack muttered standing. Self-pity was unlike him and he knew it but he couldn't help the bitterness he felt. "What do I do now?"

_What you're good at, Zack. Live._

Gasping, Zack spun around, searching for any sign of that voice's owner but of course, there was nothing.

"Live," Zack muttered, "Not like I have much choice."

With there being little else to do, he walked slowly from the church and back to the house where Callandra waited for him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Needing a distraction, Callandra began to gather what few items she owned. Lifting a photo from the table by her bed, sad green eyes looked wistfully upon a picture of Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, and herself taken before everything had gone wrong. In the picture, she was holding Genesis' Loveless book, and carefully evading the red-clad SOLDIER's attempts to regain his prize possession. Angeal stood to the side with Sephiroth. He was laughing and Sephiroth himself watched their antics with amused fondness. Hojo had tried to confiscate the picture but Callandra had stood up to the scientist.

"_**If anything happens to that picture, Dr. Hojo," she'd hissed, "I won't be responsible for what happens to your testicles." The picture had remained safe but her next mako injection had made her rather sick.**_

_**"Must have been a bad batch," Hojo had dismissed the incident but Callandra had understood the warning. **_

Tucking the frame carefully into her bag, she moved on to making sure they would have water and rations for the trip. The trip should take less than a day but Callandra's training wouldn't allow her to go less than prepared, especially with a group of psychopath's on their tail. Next, she packed her materia. Lastly, she tucked her throwing knives into their sheaths; one on each thigh, one in her right boot, and two more on either forearm. _Armed to the teeth . . .oh yeah._

The redhead looked up when the door opened and Zack stepped inside. Jade eyes ran curiously over her companion. _He looks really tense but I'd be too in his position._ "Are you okay?" Callandra winced as soon as the words left her lips. It sounded so trite and of course, there was no way that he could be. Worst of all, it came from a part of her that she had done her best to smother.

Zack gave her a weak smile. "I'll be okay."

The First Class's head snapped up. A faint whistling noise was approaching their location. Callandra met his horrified gaze and then both of them were lunging for the door, Callandra's bag clutched tightly in her hands. The building exploded seconds after they cleared the door sending both bodies hurtling through the air. Callandra crashed through the wall of a nearby building while Zack's body skipped brutally across the ground for several yards.

Having seen the woman impact with the building, Zack forced himself to his knees. "Callandra!"

"I-I'm here!"

Zack let out a relieved breath as the redhead slowly crawled from beneath the rubble. If her eyes hadn't been enough to convince the brunette of her story her survival would have. The debris would have crushed a normal human. Sprinting over to the destroyed building, Zack took her arm, helping her to stand. Sky blue eyes performed a quick check for injuries. Blood seeped from a gash above her right eye and she no doubt had bruises but didn't seem to have any serious injuries.

"Are you okay?"

Callandra gave him a mildly amused look. "Peachy."

"That was your only warning."

The voice drew their eyes up to find a helicopter hovering silently above them. "H-how?" Zack demanded, "No helicopter is that quiet."

"Apparently this one is," Callandra growled, glaring at the remnants of her home. Jade eyes shifted to Koyoto who was standing smugly in the doorway of the helicopter. "You call that a fucking warning! You fucking _blew up_ my house!" she yelled, gesturing wildly at the mess, "You're an _asshole_!"

"Resistance is futile," Koyoto continued calmly, using a speakerphone to make himself heard, "Surrender and you will not be harmed."

"I'm not going back to any lab," Zack yelled back, "So you can just forget it."

"Be reasonable," Koyoto's voice was smug, "You cannot outrun a helicopter. There is no escape. You will come with us whether you wish it or not."

Long, delicate fingers clenched hatefully at Callandra's side. "Maybe," she growled, "But that doesn't mean I have to listen to your shit in the meantime." Snatching a rock from the ground, she aimed carefully before throwing the rock into the air. Her aim was perfect, the rock collided with Koyoto's megaphone, sending the offending item spinning to the ground and most probably leaving the scientist with a bloody lip and quite hopefully a broken nose. Callandra waved as the blonde disappeared inside the 'copter clutching his face.

"Good one," Zack grinned before sobering as the helicopter spun in the air so that its guns were facing them. "We gotta get out of here."

"I know!" Callandra eyes swept the area, giving a cry of success when she found her motorcycle where she left it and most importantly in one piece. "C'mon!" As she ran, she fitted the straps of her bag over one shoulder. She _would not_ lose that bag.

She was already revving the engine as Zack leapt into the seat behind her, strong hands clasping her narrow waist tightly. Callandra sent the bike into gear leaving a spray of dirt in their wake.

"Where are we going?" Zack yelled against the wind.

"Anywhere but here!" Callandra replied, glancing up at the helicopter as it began to pursue them.

The helicopter's guns were not silent as the pilot opened fire. "I guess Koyoto doesn't care about what condition we're in."

Callandra didn't reply, all her attention was on dodging the missiles and bullets, trying desperately to keep them alive. Ahead of them two more helicopters appeared, as silently as the first, forcing Callandra to take a hard left. _There's no way we can make a stand here._

"They're herding us out of the city," Callandra called back to Zack.

"We'll be totally exposed!" Zack snapped.

"I know! But I can't go anywhere else with three of them on us." Callandra glanced back. _This is going to be rough._ "Hold on, Zack!"

Opening the throttle the whole way, the bike tore through the darkness weaving in an effort to lose the predatory spotlights. _We've only got one chance._ Callandra headed west, further into the wastelands.

"Where are you going?" Zack demanded, He cursed as bullets sprayed the dirt only yards away.

"About a mile ahead the terrain becomes really rocky," Callandra said tersely, "There are a lot of big boulders running along a cliff. If we can make it, we may be able to hide among the rocks."

"Let's go for it," Zack agreed.

Only mako-enhanced reflexes were allowing Callandra to guide the bike between the missiles and never ending hail of bullets. At last, they raced along the edge of the cliff, the rocks within sight. Then it happened. A fourth helicopter rose up over the cliff they bike well within their sights. Two missiles launched and Callandra was only just able to avoid a direct hit. The explosion sent the bike careening towards the edge of the cliff. The blast wave sent the fugitives flying off the bike and then they tumbled down the jagged face of the cliff into the impenetrable darkness of the valley below.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A low moan broke the silence of the valley. Everything **hurt. **Zack wanted to resist the tug towards consciousness but a sense of urgency had him struggling to open his eyes. At last, he managed to wedge his eyes open, to find himself lying on the canyon floor, gazing up at the night sky. The wasteland was silent and there was no sign of the pursuing lights and gunfire. Several yards away, the burning remnants of the bike sent firefly like sparks shooting haphazardly into the air.

"Bahamut's scaly ass," he gasped as he tried to move his arms and legs. It seemed that nothing was broken but his body was one giant bruise. Rolling to his side, sky blue eyes widened as his gaze rested on the crumpled form lying face down several yards away.

"Callandra!" Zack called but received no answer. Still too disoriented to stand, the brunette crawled to the woman's side. Sitting on his knees, the First Class checked quickly for broken bones and bleeding. Gently turning her over, he gasped. Her shirt had torn partially away leaving her mid-riff exposed and what skin he could see was covered in blood. Glancing up at her face, Zack saw that the cut on her forehead still bled and that blood covered the right side of her face.

Suddenly, her body stiffened and a soft cry was torn from her lips as confused mako-jade eyes snapped open. "Sonofabitch," she rasped, instinctively trying to curl around her injured stomach.

"Easy," Zack murmured soothingly, carefully making her lay flat. "Don't move until I see how serious it is."

"What about Koyoto?" she murmured groggily.

"I think he's gone for now."

Attracted by a flickering light, Callandra turned her head to survey the now smouldering remains of her motorcycle. "Oh, my bike," she moaned mournfully, "I'm taking it out of that bastard's hide."

Chuckling, Zack nodded, "I hope you get the chance to do that."

Zack started when trembling fingers reached to bush his bangs from his face. "You're bleeding," Callandra informed him.

Reaching up a hand, Zack was somewhat surprised when his glove came away covered in blood. "Huh," he grunted, "We'll worry about that later," he said, "We've gotta get that wound taken care of first."

Callandra's eyes widened. "Where's my bag?"

"I don't know," Zack said looking around, mako-infused eyes glittering in the dark. "Hey, wait, there it is." The bag had landed in the shadows only feet away.

"Th-there should be medical supplies inside," Callandra gritted her teeth as pain coursed through her side, "Shit, is there any shrapnel inside the wound?"

"I don't see any," Zack assured her, "It's pretty ragged though. I don't think this was caused by shrapnel. More likely you bounced off a sharp rock on the way down."

"I'm so relieved," she gasped dryly.

Ignoring her sarcasm, Zack reached for her bag dragging it into his lap. Opening it, he was pleased to find bandages as well as several bottles of water and rations. There were also several materia tucked inside and off to the side. "What's this?" Pulling the interesting object out of the bag, Zack found himself gazing at a picture of Callandra and the three SOLDIER Commanders.

"Is it broken?" Callandra demanded.

"No," Zack assured her softly, "It's fine." When she reached out for the frame, Zack handed it to her, his heart twisting slightly as she clasped it to her chest.

The brunette shook himself. _I need to take care of our injuries first,_ he scolded silently, _I can ask about the picture later. Angeal would have my head for loosing focus like that. That head wound must be worse than I thought._ "Okay," Zack said, pulling out one of the water bottles and some bandages. As thoroughly as possible considering their limited supplies, Zack cleaned the wound before drying it and then wrapping a bandage tightly around her abdomen.

Callandra was silent during this process, a tensing of her muscles the only sign of pain she'd allow herself. Zack repeated the process with the cut above her forehead pleased to find that it wasn't as bad as it had first appeared. The mako would probably have it nearly closed by morning.

"There," Zack panted sitting back, "You'll be fine."

"You need to take care of that head wound," Callandra reminded him, struggling to sit up.

"It's nothing," Zack dismissed, though he was in fact a little dizzy. "Don't try to move yet. Do you have a Restore materia or even a Cure? I could speed your healing process up."

"I do," Callandra replied, "But neither of us is in a condition to use it. If you try to Cure me you'll fall flat on your face and I still probably won't be strong enough to do much of anything."

"You're right," Zack admitted reluctantly, "We'll rest and regain some of our strength and try then."

Nodding agreement, Callandra stubbornly resumed trying to sit up. Sighing in exasperation, Zack eased an arm behind her shoulders and propped her up.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Callandra rode the worst of it out in silence. Panting a bit, Callandra once again started prodding carefully at the bloody bump on Zack's forehead. "This is quite a goose egg," she observed, "And you've got a rather large cut right down the middle of it." Through virtue of stubbornness alone, the redhead shifted to sit on her knees, taking the water bottle through Zack's suddenly loose grasp. With her mako-enhanced eyesight, Callandra could see the color slowly draining from his face.

"Zack? Hey, don't pass out on me," Callandra snapped, gripping a broad shoulder to steady him.

"I'm fine," Zack groaned, "Just got a little dizzy."

"Let's get you cleaned up and then we got to find a safe place to rest," Callandra said, "Neither of us is going anywhere tonight."

Gently, Callandra wiped the blood from his forehead and cheek and then wrapped another bandage around his head.

Zack grinned. "Hey, we match."

For a moment, Callandra stared at him as if wondering if he'd suffered brain damage. Then, slowly, an answering smile lifted the corners of her generous mouth. Finally, she chuckled. "This really isn't funny," she said, letting out a giggle.

"We've definitely had our brains rattled," Zack agreed.

"You know what the worst part is right?" Callandra sighed.

"Hmm?"

"Now we've got to stand up."

"Yeah."

Summoning up his reserves, Zack staggered unsteadily to his feet. "Shit," he murmured, holding his forehead until the ground steadied beneath his feet. "Okay," he sighed, "Careful now."

With Zack's help, Callandra stood, one hand clutching her wounded side. She staggered and Zack put a steadying arm around her. "Let me help."

Smirking, she nodded. "Maybe if we lean on each other we'll manage to stay upright."

"Any ideas?" Zack asked, eyes scanning the shadows. "We need to find somewhere protected from the sun."

Glowing jade eyes scanned their surroundings. "If we're where I think we are there should be a small recess in the cliff about two hundred yards that way."

"Let's go," Zack wrapped his arm around the redhead's waist, keeping her injured side nestled against him so that his hand wouldn't accidently brush over the wound. Callandra then allowed him to sling her arm around his neck.

"You know," Callandra said wistfully, "Angeal is probably somewhere watching this, laughing his ass off and shaking his head."

"Yeah," Zack sighed, "I can hear him now. 'In trouble again, pup'."

"I miss him," she whispered.

"Me too."

The pair stood silently for a moment before Zack shook away the sadness. "We'd better move."

Learning carefully against each other they started shuffling towards the area Callandra had recalled.

"Think they're looking for us?" Zack asked, several minutes later.

"It's possible that they think we're dead," Callandra mused, "But I doubt they'd give up so easily. Plus, those choppers mean that there's money backing them. They want you bad." She looked up, "There!" She pointed with her free hand. On their left, three giant rocks were propped together formal a small hole that would provide some protection from the heat. It was small but it would do.

Ducking inside, Zack eased Callandra down against one of the rock walls. She leaned her head back as Zack slid wearily down beside her.

Closing his eyes, Zack groaned. "I feel like I'd been run over by a chocobo."

"If only," Callandra snorted.

Opening his eyes, Zack turned to face his companion. "Are you sure you're okay, Callie? I could probably manage at least a Cure2 or something."

Starting at the nickname, she turned her head, and their eyes met. Slowly, her expression softened. "I'll be fine 'till morning," she smiled gently, "You look like you're about to fall over."

"Maybe," Zack grinned, "Guess we should get some rest, huh?"

"Yeah," Callandra shifted so that she lay prone on her uninjured side. Zack carefully did the same lying so that they were back-to-back and close enough that she could feel his body heat. "Night, Zack."

"Night. Hey, Callandra?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry."

Callandra sat up a bit looking over her shoulder. "Why?"

"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess."

She thought this over as she eased back down. "Don't be. I'm not."

* * *

_Author's Notes: And another chapter. This was got up pretty quick. My Zack muse is being a little jerk and poking me with ideas at the worst times. Hopefully he's happy now. (Zack: Not really. I got a few more ideas.) I'm gonna try and update Light in the Dark next but we'll see. Please, let me know what you think about this story. Am I on the mark or is Zack totally OOC? I really need your feedback and it only takes a few minutes to review. And now, my thanks to the wonderful, amazing people who did review. Cookies and Zacks for everyone._

**Shade the Bat:**_ Did you like it? I was kinda worried about making Zack and Callie get too close too soon but I also think that being in a situation like this would bond two people pretty fast. Let me know what you think!_

**Amberblood:**_ Yeah, I just happened to be going through my mail when you updated and so I got to read it right away. There's been a brief delay in Cloud entry but it's coming in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for reviewing! (BTW I know I reviewed but the latest chapter of Full Circle was AMAZING.)_


	4. Chapter 4

When Zack awoke, his arm was one numb, slightly drooled on, throbbing mass. "Eugh." He started to turn on his back, freezing when his shoulder collided with the warm body behind him. "What?" Zack jerked into a sitting position, then relaxed and sighed. "Shit." _No offense, Callie, but I was kinda hoping this was all a dream. Not that you really dream or even sleep in the Lifestream._

Zack crept forward enough to look outside, the heat and the sun's position in the sky told him that was somewhere in the early afternoon. Moving back into their shallow sheltering of rock, the First Class leaned against one of the "walls" and contemplated his current, shitty situation. _Why do I always get chased by creepy scientists? How did they even bring me back?_ The redhead resting next to him let out a low moan and shifted uncomfortably. _I guess it doesn't matter right now. I'm here and since I drug Callandra into this I gotta help her get out._ When she let another groan, Zack frowned in concern. "Callandra?"

"Ugh. Yeah?" she replied sluggishly, "Did you get the number on the Marlboro that ran me over?"

"No," he smiled, "But that's only 'cause it clipped me too."

"Stinky bastard," Callandra muttered, using her arms to push herself upright. She winced slightly as she did so.

"You better let me take a look at it," Zack said.

Shrugging, Callandra edged back against the wall and allowed Zack to carefully unwind the bandage from her middle. "Well isn't that pretty," she sighed.

The cut no longer bled and indeed had closed almost completely but the skin around it held a distinct resemblance to a thunderstorm.

"Yeah, but still, you heal really fast," Zack said, "Well, at any rate, I think I'm good for a Cure3 which ought to fix this."

"Let me check your forehead first," Callandra insisted, "Just in case."

"I'm fine."

"Bandage. Off. Now." Callandra snapped.

"Okay, okay." Zack peeled off the bandage and sat still so Callandra could inspect the injury.

The mako in his blood had done a good job of repairing the damage to his forehead. The bump was gone and all that remained was a small scabbed-over cut. "You don't heal too bad yourself," Callandra mused, "It's almost gone. Do you even have a headache anymore?"

"Not really," Zack shook his head, "So will you stop being stubborn and let me Cure you now?"

Reaching into her pocket, Callandra produced her Restore materia. "I guess," she teased, "Since it means so much to you."

Though Zack smiled as he took the materia the smile faded as he stood back and prepared to cast the spell. "It _is_ my fault you're in this situation."

Callandra frowned as the materia's healing energy blanketed her form and eased the ache from her muscles. "I told you not to be sorry. I'm not. Besides it's not like any of this is your doing." Healed, the redhead rose gracefully, stretching to get the remaining kinks out of her muscles. "Thanks."

"No problem," Zack handed back the materia. He turned and looked past the opening and across the seemingly endless wastelands. "I just can't believe any of this, you know?"

"Yeah, but," Callandra gave him a sympathetic smile, "You know what Angeal would tell you right?"

"Yeah," Zack sighed wistfully, "The situation is what it is and I can go nowhere but forward."

"And forward seems to mean Edge," Callandra pointed out, "I'd like to get there alive. And I've spent enough time in labs."

Zack nodded grimly. "Yeah, I hear ya on that one. How far are we from Edge now? I got kind of disoriented last night."

"I think it'll take us about a day and a half on foot," Callandra shrugged, "We'll have to be careful. It's mostly open ground out there."

"So that means traveling at night."

"At least for the first day," Callandra agreed, "If we cover enough ground tonight then we can push on during daylight until we reach the city."

"Sounds like a plan," Zack nodded, moving to sit against one of the rock walls.

Sitting down across the small shelter from him, Callandra sighed with the thought of the hours they had yet to wait. Looking around, she spotted her bag and pulled it over. Reaching inside she pulled out two water bottles, keeping one for her and tossing the other to Zack.

"Thanks," Zack said catching it and unscrewing the cap. After taking a sip, the ex-SOLDIER set the bottle aside and leaned back, bringing one leg up and resting his arm on top of it. "So, what were you doing in Midgar anyway?"

"I could be alone there," Callandra shrugged, "After I left Shinra, I wandered for a bit but there was nothing and no one to tie me to any specific place. And in each village I stopped at, the people had heard of Sephiroth's strange green eyes and were frightened of me. So, I returned to Midgar not long after Meteor."

"So you were here during that whole thing with the Remnants and Deepground?"

"Hmmm. Is being in the Lifestream like watching a reality show? Do you just sit around and watch what happens on the other side? You know an awful lot for someone who's been dead for four years."

Zack laughed at the irreverent question. "Sorta. Aerith and I . . . well we were really worried about Cloud and we've been known to help our friends out on occasion. You already know that Aerith is an Ancient. As such, she has a special place in the Lifestream. It was . . . nice that I could still help people." He sighed, sadly. "I miss her."

Unwilling to sink into a moping session, Zack turned curious blue eyes on his companion. "You see to know a lot about me. Did Angeal tell you?"

"Yeah," Callandra smiled, "Angeal was always talking about his 'puppy'. Said you had amazing potential."

"We've never met," Zack pointed out, "How did you recognize me?"

"Angeal showed me some tapes of your training sessions," she replied, "Said he looked forward to the day when he would be able to introduce us. He really was proud of you. You said Angeal was with you in the Lifestream?"

"Yup," Zack confirmed, "He's happy. So, Callie, did Angeal give you an 'honor and dreams' speeches?"

"I don't think there was anyone who didn't get those," Callie laughed, "Angeal was the most protective, paternal person I've ever met. In addition to the dream speech I also received many on controlling my temper . . . and not letting Genesis talk me into things that would get us both in trouble."

"Seems like you and Genesis were close," Zack observed, "What was he like . . . you know, before?"

Smiling absently, Callie willingly dived into the memories. "Genesis was . . . well, he was Genesis. He could be cold and arrogant but that was really just the mask he used. He had a really cutting, dry sense of humor but if you were one of the people he cared about then he was fiercely protective. Genesis was everything I could have wanted in an older brother."

"So what kind of things did you do that got you in trouble?" Zack asked, having seen spurts of Genesis' mischievous side during the encounters.

"Oh, where should I start?" Callandra grinned, "There was the time we put the diuretic in Hojo's morning coffee. The asshole couldn't start his day without it. He spent the majority of that day in the bathroom. We were going to go with a laxative but decided it lacked originality." The grin faded a bit, "We pulled that stunt so that Sephiroth could have a day out of the labs. Hojo had been at him really hard for a week straight."

Zack smirked at the thought of Hojo's discomfort. "What else?"

"One time, we snuck into Angeal's apartment in the middle of the night and replaced the Buster Sword with a plastic copy," she chuckled, "Angeal was _not_ happy. If there had been a single scratch on that blade when we gave it back he may have strangled us." Her eyes twinkled, "After that, Sephiroth refused to let Masamune out of his sight for a whole month."

Callandra was ticking events off on her fingers. "We dyed all of Hollander's underwear pink. Oh . . .do you remember when the VR room was down for a whole week? Genesis and I reprogrammed it so that all the monsters would have Hojo's face. We found the program rather therapeutic. He'd never admit it but Sephiroth spent several hours in there before the technicians were allowed to fix it."

"What did they do to you?" Zack asked between bouts of laughter.

"What could they do really? I was technically a First Class even if I was a secret. Most of the usual punishments would have exposed me to others. Finally," Callie's grin became wicked, "I heard a rumor that Rufus Shinra had found the situation extremely funny."

"Rufus knew?"

She nodded. "A lot of the top brass did. Rufus, the President of course, Scarlet, Hojo and a few others."

"What about Tseng?"

"Yes," Callandra confirmed, "Because of his leadership of the Turks it was necessary that he knew the truth."

Zack was silent for a moment and then said, "How could they keep you such a secret? I mean you were right there in the Shinra building. Didn't they ever let you out?"

Much of the humor faded from her expression. "Most of the time, Hojo tried to keep me in the secret area assigned to me. When I was training in the VR room it, the company usually told everyone else that it was closed for maintenance. When I had to move about during the day I had to dress in civilian clothes and most people probably thought I was someone's secretary."

"That must have been hard," Zack said, "Did you ever get to go out when you weren't on a mission?"

The smile was back. "When they could, Genesis, Sephiroth, and Angeal would sneak me out of the building at night and we'd go to clubs and things like that. Sephiroth had been completely deprived of a childhood and wasn't allowed to do any teenage things either. They didn't want me to go through that. When I was sixteen or seventeen Sephiroth took me to the Shinra winter solstice party."

Zack cocked an eyebrow, "Didn't that defeat the point of trying to keep you a secret?"

"Not really," Callandra disagreed, "I mean Hojo didn't like it but Lazard figured that no one had ever seen me dressed as anything other than a secretary and really, how many people remember a secretary or take the time to notice in the first place? Sure there were whispers about the General having a date but no one really dared to question him."

A dreamy look brightened her eyes. "I had so much fun that night. I danced with Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. I was wearing the most beautiful blue gown. I'd never really felt pretty before that."

"You don't need a gown to be pretty," Zack said before he could stop himself.

Callandra's eyes snapped to his and she blushed. Zack scratched his head awkwardly and seemed to be at a loss.

"What will you do after you get to Edge?" Callie asked to change the subject.

"I don't know," he sighed, "I guess I'll figure that out when I get there."

They spent the rest of the day shifting between dozing and idle conversation. By the time the sun began to set both were fidgeting restlessly. As the sky faded to pink, the First class sprang to his feet.

"We can get going pretty soon," Zack said obviously delighted.

"Thank, Gaia," Callandra sighed, "My ass fell asleep two hours ago. Here," she dug into her bag again and tossed Zack one of the rations.

"Do you have the kitchen sink in there?" Zack teased as he tore open the package.

"I tried," she deadpanned, "But I couldn't get it to fit."

Rolling his eyes, the brunette ate his unappetizing meal in silence while Callandra did the same. When he was finished, he tossed the container aside, nearly vibrating with the need to get going. "I think it's dark enough. You ready?"

Nodding, Callandra stood, and hefting her bag, joined Zack at the entrance of their shelter. "Let's go."

Side by side, they set off across the scorching sands of the wasteland, the shadow of Midgar looming in the distance.

"Things change so fast," Callie murmured to herself.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "And there's never any going back."

* * *

_Author's notes: And there we are. I was a little iffy about this chapter so PLEASE review and let me know what you think. Next chapter: the trek across the wasteland. Is anything ever so simple? And now cookies and thanks to my reviewers._

**Amberblood: **_LOL. I try to be signed in though I'm almost always signed it. I do too much stuff on here not to be. I'm kinda signed in by default. I'm glad that you think I'm keeping Zack in character. Also, I agree that Zack probably didn't get a vote on the puppy thing but hate to tell him it really did kind of fit. If you watched the cutscenes there's times when Zack tilts his head a certain way and it really does remind me of a puppy. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to review!_

**Shade the bat:**_ LOL. Not even I know the answer to that one yet. I have my suspicions but the muses keep changing their minds. We'll figure it out soon though. As far as choosing . . . well life is full of choices and most of them aren't easy. Thanks for reviewing!!_


	5. Chapter 5

For several hours, the pair moved quietly across the sands, senses alert for any hint of a threat. Though the darkness provided some protection against being by spotted by Koyoto's men it left them more vulnerable to attack from the monsters that lived in the wastelands.

"So," Zack said softly, finally breaking the silence, "How old were you when you came to Shinra?"

"I'm not really sure," Callandra shrugged, "No older than two or three I guess. At first, it was just me and Sephiroth. Then a few years later Angeal and Genesis came. We just clicked from the moment we met. Hojo hated it. He wanted Seph and I isolated from the rest of the world, especially Sephiroth. Hojo always did his best to make Sephiroth feel just how different he was."

"You know, you talk about Angeal and Genesis a lot but you rarely mention Sephiroth. Why?" Zack asked, his eyes shifting from the shadows to his companion.

Stiffening, Callie took a moment to answer. "It's . . . painful," she tried to explain without saying too much, "It's harder to talk about him after . . . everything."

"Yeah," Zack nodded, "I was there you know, when he . . . snapped. He burned Nibelheim and then nearly killed Cloud and I. He just . . . couldn't handle the truth I guess."

"But you knew him before that," Callie said urgently, "He was a good man."

"I know," Zack sounded sad, "And he was a good friend." Zack froze and held up a hand. "Listen."

"I hear it," Callie whispered, reaching for her swords, "Duck!"

Zack dropped to the ground and Callandra spun her blades slicing the bird-like monster into three bloody pieces. As Zack leapt back to his feet, two more of the green birds appeared along with a Fly Eye, and two Bombs. The brunette pulled the Buster Sword with a flourish. "Is that all? Piece of cake."

"I was hoping for more of a challenge," Callandra agreed, "But still we _are_ in a hurry."

"Right."

They attacked swiftly, the strokes strong and sure. In minutes, all the monsters were dead.

"Well," Zack said, placing the Buster Sword back on its magnetic sheath, "That was quick."

"With any luck there was no one around to hear us," Callandra said, spinning the katanas lazily before sheathing them.

"Yeah, which with our luck means there's probably an army heading this way," Zack pointed out ruefully.

"We'd better move it."

The pair set off again, moving slightly faster than before. They pushed on, occasionally having to pause when attacked by monsters. As the sun rose, Edge loomed within reach.

"Maybe we should wait until dark," Callie hesitated.

"It'd be better," Zack agreed, "But there's no place to lay low out here."

"You're right," she sighed, "Let's just hope we're not spotted. We really kind of stand out right now."

Grinning wryly, Zack looked her over. Callandra's clothes were torn and bloody and her cheeks liberally smudged with dirt. He suspected that he didn't look much better. "Let's just hope we find Cloud or Tifa quick."

As they started walking again, Callie asked, "What do you think they'll do? I mean you have been dead for several years now." She paused and titled her head, "That sounds really weird. I'm talking to a dead guy." She gave Zack a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"Tifa will deal," Zack sighed, "Cloud . . . I don't know. He's been through a lot and blames himself for my death and Aerith's."

"It's a hard lesson," she said gently, "You can't save everyone, and heroes die."

They were silent for a moment both of their thoughts on Angeal and Sephiroth.

"Zack," Callie said slowly, "Is . . . did you . . . is Genesis in the Lifestream?"

"No," Zack soothed, "I never saw him, and the last time we parted he was alive."

"But if he's alive . . ." Callandra trailed off and she clenched her firsts. "It doesn't matter."

It obviously did, but Zack let it go sensing the pain that battled the initial relief. He knew well the pain of abandonment and betrayal. Silently, they kept walking, Edge growing nearer with every step.

It was about 9am when the dusty pair entered the city. As predicted, they instantly drew the attention of everyone within twenty feet. Fortunately, Zack found someone who knew the location of 7th Heaven on the fourth try. Callandra insisted on stopping at a nearby vendor that sold sunglasses.

"Your sudden resurrection is going to be enough of a shock," Callie explained when Zack asked why she wanted the sunglasses, "I think maybe I should hide my eyes at least until the worst of the shock has passed."

"I guess," Zack shrugged, "Whatever makes you more comfortable."

Following the stranger's directions, they soon found themselves standing in front of Tifa's bar.

When Zack hesitated, Callie gave him a questioning look.

"I know I wanted to come here," Zack shrugged, "Guess I'm just nervous about how Cloud will react."

"The worse he can do is pass out," Callandra said lightly.

Zack laughed. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." Grasping the doorknob, he led the way inside.

OOOOOOOOO

Zack stepped inside, aware of Callandra's presence behind him. The place was clean and welcoming. Tifa was behind the bar drying some glasses and there were three other people in the room with her. A young Wutain girl who was very familiar sat on one of the stools, idly twisting the seat back and forth. Next to her, sat a man in a red cloak with long, dark hair. And next to him, was a muscular blonde man in his early thirties, pilot's goggles perched on his head, with a cigarette dangling loosely from his lips.

"We're not open yet," Tifa said without glancing up.

"I thought maybe you'd make an exception for me," Zack said softly.

Tifa's head snapped up and her eyes widened. "Oh Gaia. _Zack_?" _It can't be . . . but . . . how?_

"It's been a while," Zack grinned weakly, scratching the back of his neck.

The Wutain girl jumped off her bar stool, her eyes incredulous and then Zack remembered her. "You!" she gasped.

"Hiya, Yuffie. You sure grew up."

"You're dead!" Tifa insisted as Vincent and Cid shared a confused glance.

"You died?" Yuffie shouted, "You're dead?"

"Yeah, but not so much anymore."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yuffie whined.

Zack snorted. "Tell me about it, kiddo."

"Whaddya mean he's supposed to be dead?!" Cid demanded, "He sure as hell looks alive to me. And just who the hell is he? And what about her," he continued jerking his thumb at Callandra who observed from just behind Zack, "Somebody better start fucking explainin'."

Vincent frowned, eyes shifting back and forth between Tifa and the brunette male. "Tifa," he said, "What's going on?"

Ignoring her friends' confusion, Tifa came around the counter, slowly approaching the nervous ex-soldier. Stopping just in front of him she gazed up into those sky blue eyes. For a moment, time shifted, and she was back in Nibelheim, fourteen and dressed in that ridiculous cowgirl outfit. Those eyes hadn't changed at all. "It really is you," she murmured, reaching out to touch his cheek, just to confirm that he was real. "But . . . how?"

"It's a long story," Zack sighed, lifting her hand from his cheek and giving it a gentle squeeze. "We'll get into it shortly but first . . .where's Cloud?"

"He went on a delivery first thing this morning," Tifa shook her head, "I can't believe any of this." The martial artist ran her gaze over the First Class and her eyes widened noticing for the first time how dirty and bloody his clothes were. Wine colored eyes snapped to the strange woman who accompanied him and saw that her clothes were even bloodier. "What happened?! Are you hurt?"

"We're fine," Zack assured her, "Just a little tired."

"Who's your friend?" Tifa asked, running an assessing gaze over the other woman. It was odd that she wore sunglasses even inside but then again, so did Rude._ I've seen weirder things._

"I'm Callandra," the other woman said, tone neutral. Callandra had watched the odd reunion slowly running her hidden gaze over each occupant, each no doubt a member of AVALANCHE. _These are the people who killed Sephiroth. _Callie had always wondered how'd she react if she met any of them. She didn't feel the seething hate she'd always thought she would. She didn't want to snuggle with any of them but she didn't hate them either. _I'm just as guilty as they are_¸ she reminded herself.

"She totally saved my ass," Zack said in response to Tifa's suspicious look.

"Hey!" Yuffie stomped a foot, "Will someone please explain what's going on?"

Again, Zack started to reply only to freeze when the door opened behind them. Turning slowly, he found himself meeting the disbelieving blue eyes of his friend . . . the one he had given his life to protect.

"Cloud."

"Zack . . ." Cloud swayed, one hand slamming against the wall in a desperate attempt to stay upright.

"Whoa, buddy!" Zack yelped, grabbing Cloud to steady him. Quickly, he helped his friend to a chair. "Easy."

A muffled chuckle reached his ears and the brunette glanced up to find Callandra trying to hide a smile behind her hand.

"He didn't pass out!" he protested, though a smirk was teasing his lips. _This really is ridiculous._

"Close enough," Callandra drawled.

"What?" Cloud demanded dazedly.

Zack shook his head, "Don't worry about it."

Cloud's eyes cleared and sat up straighter, wide eyes staring into Zack's. "You're really here?" he asked softly, "This isn't a dream." _Please don't let this be a dream._

"More like a nightmare," Zack retorted, but shrugged giving the blonde a reassuring smile, "But, yeah, I'm really here."

Cloud stood, eyes suspiciously bright. He reached out, pulling the First Class to him in a hug. "You're really here," he whispered.

Shocked, Zack slowly returned the hug. "Yeah, but if you squeeze any tighter I'm not gonna be able to breathe."

Cloud blushed and stepped back meeting Zack's eyes once again. "But . . . I don't understand. How?" _You're not going to disappear are you?_

"Like I said, it's a long story." _Gaia, Cloud, I'm standing in front of you and I can still see the doubts. I never meant to hurt you._

"Not so long," Callandra smirked, "Just . . . complicated."

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded, eyeing her distrustfully.

"Callandra," the redhead replied, returning Cloud's gaze, a challenge in the vague smirk she wore and her suddenly defensive posture.

"Callie, stop it." Zack admonished. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "She's a friend, Cloud," Zack said quietly, "She saved me from another stint in a lab."

"Lab?" Cloud asked, a slight shudder racing through him.

"Let's sit down," Tifa said, taking Cloud's hand comfortingly. She looked over at Zack. "Are you two hungry? Is there anything I can get you?"

Zack glanced over at Callandra and the redhead gave him a slight nod. "Yeah, military rations only go so far. Thanks, Tifa."

The bartender nodded and headed back to the kitchen to whip up a late breakfast. _I think there's still some batter left over from this morning._

When Tifa had left, Cloud stared down at the table and asked softly, "How long have you been back?"

"Two or three days I think," Zack answered getting a confirming nod from Callie. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here but we ran into some . . . difficulties. If you don't mind . . . I'd rather wait until Tifa's back. I don't want to have to explain this twice." The brunette gestured towards the curious trio that had joined them at the table. "Yuffie and I have met," Zack gave the girl a grin, "But care to introduce me to your friends?"

"Oh," Cloud blushed again, "Sorry. This is Vincent Valentine," Cloud gestured towards the man in the red cape, "And the loud-mouth is Cid Highwind."

"Highwind," Zack mused, "Didn't I hear something about you and the space program?"

"Yup," Cid said pleased, "That'd be me. Best pilot there is."

"And modest too," Zack mused.

Cloud chuckled as Cid glared at the ex-SOLDIER. Gaia, he'd missed the way Zack could make him laugh. "Cid, Vincent, meet SOLIER First Class Zack Fair."

"Fuck," Cid's eyes widened, "Yer shittin' me. Thought ya said he was dead!"

Zack sighed, "I was. But now I'm not," he rubbed his temples, "Damn, that sounds weird, and _I'm_ the one it happened to. Shit." He shrugged. "I promise I'll explain everything as soon as Tifa gets back."

"You'd better," Cloud warned, though a tiny smile lit his usually somber features.

While they waited, Yuffie and Zack told the story of how'd they met.

"Damn," Cid said, "Stealin' even when she was a kid."

"I'm not overly surprised," Vincent added, eyes dancing.

"A princess, huh?" Zack mused, "Never would have guessed."

"Well," Yuffie sniffed, "That's because I'm an awesome ninja first and a princess after."

"And a very sneaky thief," Zack teased.

"Hey!"

Several minutes later, Tifa returned with a tray laden with two empty plates, and a third plate filled with steaming hotcakes. Another plate held crisp strips of bacon. Lastly, there were the two large glasses of milk.

"You're awesome, Tifa!" Zack exclaimed sitting up eagerly.

"Thanks," Tifa smiled setting the trays contents on the table. Callandra pulled off her gloves and shoved them in her pocket before picking up her fork. Tifa waited until each of her guests had taken a bite.

"Wow," Zack moaned, after swallowing, "This is really good."

"Yeah," Callie spoke up softly, "This is the first time I've had a meal this good in a long time. Thank you, Tifa," Almost shyly, she offered the other woman a smile.

Though her eyes were still hidden behind the dark sunglasses Tifa sensed that the sentiment and smile were genuine and returned them warmly. "You're welcome."

The others waited impatiently as Zack and Callie cleared the table of all food. Well, mostly it was Zack. Callandra had eaten two of the hotcakes and four pieces of bacon. Zack had devoured everything else.

"Zack," Cloud said, "Now that you've filled that bottomless pit you call a stomach, you really have some explaining to do."

"Yeah," Zack sighed, "Well, it all started with this creepy ex-Shinra scientist, Koyoto." Zack filled them in on his resurrection and the following events with occasional help from Callandra. Though he said nothing, the First Class had noticed the changes in her behavior since entering the bar. She leaned back casually in her chair but her arms were crossed defensively and she watched the others warily. Additionally, though Zack had only known her a few days, he had never known her to be so quiet in that time. Zack glossed over much of Callandra's background, only mentioning that she was ex-Shinra and that she had known Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. If she wanted them to know then she'd tell them.

"What about Aerith?" Cloud interjected quietly.

"Still in the Lifestream," Zack sighed when the blonde nodded sadly, "Look, Cloud, I miss Aerith like crazy but I think I'd kill Koyoto if he pulled the same bullshit with her that he has with me. She's _happy_ there, Cloud. She's helping people and doing important work and that's enough for her."

"You don't sound happy to be back," Cloud observed softly.

Zack shook his head, "I'm sorry . . . it's just that me and Aerith and Angeal, we were all together and we were happy and now . . . I just miss them. But I _am_ glad I got to see you again, Spikey. Believe that."

Cloud smiled, nodding his head in understanding. _I'm sorry, Zack, but I could almost hug Koyoto for bringing you back . . . right before I wrecked his lab. I won't let you down again, I promise._

When Zack finished the tale with his arrival at the bar, they sat in silence for several moments. Cid broke the silence, "That explains you," the pilot said, "But that doesn't explain her. All you've said is that she's ex-Shinra like you and her had some friends in common. There's somethin' not right about ya," Cid finished glaring at the girl accusingly.

"Hey!" Zack protested, but stopped when Callandra laid a hand on his arm.

"What do you want to know?" Callandra asked calmly, though her shoulders were tense. "I was one of Hojo's experiments and the only female SOLDIER though my existence was top secret. Shortly after Nibelheim burned, I left Shinra and have been living in Midgar alone for several years now. What else could you possibly need to know?"

"Why have ya been hidin'?" Cid demanded, "We coulda used yer help during all that shit with Sephiroth. Hell, you've been in Midgar? That means ya were there for all that Deepground bullshit and probably that nutter Kadaj. Did ya hide then too? You sound like moreova coward than a SOLDIER."

Callandra leaned forward with a hiss, "Just because you did not see me during the battle against Deepground does not mean that I was not there fighting. I just chose not to be seen." She seemed to deflate slightly. "As for Sephiroth . . . I couldn't fight him."

"Take off your sunglasses," Vincent said abruptly, drawing all eyes to him.

"Why?" Callandra challenged.

"Do you have something to hide?" Vincent retorted.

Again, Zack started to protest and again Callandra stopped him. "Guess it's time to face the music." She took a steadying breath then removed the glasses from her eyes. Slowly, she looked up into the shocked and horrified eyes of those around her.

"Her eyes!" Yuffie gasped.

Callandra smiled coldly, "I'm sure that you can guess the nature of the experiments that Hojo conducted on me. I was an attempt to recreate Sephiroth's power."

"It's not her fault," Zack cried, looking at Cloud pleadingly, "She was just a baby when Hojo got a hold of her."

Cloud and Vincent shifted uncomfortably. They knew well what the scientist had been capable of.

"No," Cid snapped, "Maybe not then but she sure as hell chose to hide and let Sephiroth do whatever the fuck he wanted."

"You don't understand," Callandra cried, clenching her fists, "I couldn't fight him . . . I couldn't bear it."

"Cid," Cloud snapped, "Stop it." Cloud didn't know what he thought of all of this but he did know that Callandra had saved Zack and he also recognized the wounded wildness in her eyes. He'd felt it himself several times.

"Fuckin' coward," Cid frowned, ignoring Cloud, "Sounds like ya hid and let others do all the sacrificin'.

"Stop it!" Callandra demanded, eyes wide.

"Truth hurts don't it, kid?" Cid sneered.

Leaping to her feet, Callandra brought her hand down, smashing the wooden table. The others jumped back as the redhead stood seething. She seemed completely unaware of the splinters stuck in her skin or the drops of blood staining the floor. "You don't know anything," she hissed, body trembling, "I think I 'sacrificed' enough," she was yelling now, "I stood by and watched while you killed Sephiroth. I stood by and let all of you kill my lover! I sacrificed Sephiroth for the sake of this fucking planet and everyone on it. I let you fucking kill him!"

Bloody hands clutched at her hair, "Oh Gaia, I let you kill him," she groaned.

"Callandra," Zack whispered, eyes sympathetic as he reached for her.

"No!" she cried spinning away. Callandra dashed to the door and out into the street.

"Son of a bitch," Zack glared at Cid before pursuing the redhead.

He found her on the sidewalk clutching desperately at a light pole. She gripped the metal so hard that her fingers left dents in the surface. With a cry, she ripped the pole free of the ground sending the lamppost flying to the side in a shower of sparks.

"Stay away," she told Zack, shuddering.

"Callandra," Zack said gently, "You should have told me."

"It wouldn't have changed anything," she cried, "Highwind's right! I was weak. You loved Angeal but you still did what you had to do. I wasn't strong enough so I hid and let others do it for me! I betrayed Sephiroth by letting it happen!"

"Sephiroth betrayed all of us," Zack countered firmly, "And you still loved him. It took strength for you to let others do what needed to be done."

Red hair flailed around her shoulders as she shook her head in denial. Her eyes were wild but she didn't move as Zack slowly and carefully approached her.

He looked into her eyes and saw that her eyes were brimming with tears that she wouldn't let fall. "It's okay to cry," Zack said quietly.

"No!" She took a step back, "I can't . . . I've never . . . If I do . . ."

"You've never let yourself cry over this?" Zack demanded in disbelief.

"I can't!"

Zack stepped forward quickly and wrapped his arms around Callandra, tenderly pulling her into his embrace. "Let it out," he murmured, gently guiding her face to his chest and holding it there. She struggled but he held her tightly, "You need to let it out, Callie," he said, "You can't heal until you do." Memories of crying for Angeal ran through his head and he remembered that Aerith's arms had been the only thing that kept him grounded in those first days. He held on tightly, not letting go no matter how much she fought him.

"I've got you," Zack rested his head on top of hers, "Just let it out."

Callandra's slender body vibrated violently until at last a single sob escaped her. Once she started, the tears came easier and soon she no longer fought Zack's grip but leaned into his strength. Zack held her there in the street ignoring the curious and frightened gazes of the people around them as they eyed the still sparking light pole.

Looking between the sparking fixture and the obviously trouble woman, the people quickly decided that leaving would be wise. Zack scarcely noticed any of this. His hand no longer held her head against him but stroked her hair soothingly. She clung to him, one hand clenched in the front of his shirt and the other in the material at his back. He rocked slightly in place as she cried. At last, Callandra's wrenching sobs had faded to silent tears punctuated by an occasional sniffle.

"Zack."

The First Class turned slightly to see Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent and Cid watching from the door of the bar.

"Bring her inside," Tifa ordered quietly.

Bending slightly, Zack slipped an arm under the redhead's knees and lifted her light form into his arms. She clutched at his shirt silently cursing her weakness. He carried her to the door, glaring at Cid as he none too gently brushed past the older man. Callandra didn't notice any of them. She had buried her head in Zack's neck and clenched her eyes shut.

"I'll show you where you can rest," Cloud said softly. He turned to Tifa. "Maybe you should make some of your tea."

Tifa nodded in understanding and once again disappeared into the kitchen. Cloud turned back to Zack. "Come on." The blonde led Zack upstairs to a room with two beds.

Setting the sniffling woman on the bed, Zack knelt in front of her and gently wiped tear dampened locks from her face. "Hush now," he murmured, wiping a tear away with his thumb.

"Zack," she whispered, "I'm so sorry. I . . ."

"Hey, sssh," Zack soothed, "We've both had a long couple of days. We can talk about this after you've rested okay?" He cupped her chin so that she met his gaze. "And you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Understand?" _Gaia, she looks so young._

Eyes wide, she nodded.

"Good." Zack stood and sat on the bed beside her and lifted her bloody hand to examine the damage. "These'll have to come out," the brunette frowned at the protruding splinters.

"Hold on," Cloud left, reappearing with a first aid kit. He handed it to Zack. "You should find everything you need in there."

Zack quirked an eyebrow as he examined the large, heavy case. "Being a delivery boy is dangerous work, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Cloud smirked, "You never know."

Sitting down next to Callandra, Zack sat the case on a small table that Cloud pulled over to the bed. Opening the case, he rummaged through the contents. "There's got to be a pair of tweezers in this mini trauma unit. Aha!"

Zack again reached for Callandra's hand but this time she pulled it out of his reach.

"I'm fine," she muttered, looking away.

"Yeah," Zack snorted, "Say that again when your hand turns green." He reached out and firmly pulled her hand into his lap. She scowled but didn't try and move it. "This is gonna hurt," he said apologetically, gripping the first splinter with the tweezers and easing it free of her skin.

Callandra winced slightly but made no sound. Tears continued to seep silently from her eyes but Zack and Cloud understood that it had nothing to do with the sorry state of her hand.

Zack glanced up at Cloud, "Didn't you have some kids living here, Spikey?"

"Yeah, but they're at school," Cloud replied, as he dug a bottle of peroxide and bandages out of the kit. A fond smile played at his lips, "You'll like Marlene and Denzel."

"I'm sure I will," Zack sighed as he pulled the last splinter free, "There, I think I got them all."

Cloud handed Zack the bottle of peroxide and held a small bowl under her hand. Callandra showed no reaction as the First Class upended the bottle over her hand. He repeated the process several times until the substance stopped fizzing and then made one last check for any splinters. "Now, all we have to is bandage it up," Zack said, "The way you heal, it'll be good as new in no time."

"Thank you," Callandra murmured, slowly lifting her eyes to Zack's.

The First Class was again struck by how young she looked, sitting there on the bed, her eyes bloodshot from tears. Yet, when he thought about it, with the exception of Vincent and Cid they all were really young for what they'd lived through. _The planet has asked a lot. Maybe too much. Sorry, Aerith._

A soft knock roused Zack from his thoughts. Cloud opened the door and Tifa entered holding a bundle of clothes in one hand and a steaming mug in the other. "I brought something more comfortable for you to sleep in," Tifa said, giving the other girl a gentle smile. When neither Zack nor Cloud moved Tifa gave them a look. "Out, you two," she ordered, "She can't change with you here."

Zack hesitated looking over at Callandra. The brunette looked so worried that the redhead felt guilty. "I'll be okay," she said hesitantly, "Really."

Standing, he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll wait right outside."

"Okay."

"Out, Zack," Tifa repeated, pointing towards the door.

"I'm going, I'm going," Zack sighed, drawing a tiny smile from Callandra. Encouraged, he gave the girl one last grin before allowing Tifa to herd him from the room.

Tifa sighed, shaking her head. "Let's get you out of those bloody clothes, hmm? While you're resting I'll see what I can do about cleaning them up."

"You are from Nibelheim, aren't you? Both you and Cloud," Callandra said suddenly.

"Yes," Tifa confirmed, sadness flitting across her face.

"S-Sephiroth burned Nibelheim."

"Yes," Tifa nodded, guessing where the other woman was going with this, "And you think we should blame you for that?"

"Don't you?"

"You weren't there were you?" Tifa demanded, "And you didn't know it was going to happen ahead of time, did you?"

"No."

"Then there was nothing you could have done," Again Tifa looked sad, "And there was nothing Zack could have done. I know that now."

"Tifa?" Callandra stood slowly, "What do you mean by that?"

"I – Sephiroth wounded me badly," Tifa explained, "And Zack found me. I hated everything connected to Shinra then. I told Zack I hated him. But I know now it wasn't his fault. He would have stopped Sephiroth if he could have."

"Have you told Zack this?" Callie asked quietly.

"No," Tifa shook her head, "But, maybe I should." The martial artist shook herself. "Now, get out of those dirty clothes and then have some tea."

Bemused, Callandra found herself allowing Tifa to fuss like a mother hen as she stripped out of her uniform and tugged on a pair of black sweats and a too big black t-shirt.

"The shirt is Cloud's," Tifa said, "And the pants are mine but they're a little too long for me. They fit you fine though. Now," she handed Callie the still steaming mug, "Drink this and I'll let Zack back in. I can hear him pacing."

Briefly, Callandra debated on asking what was in the tea then changed her mind. Zack trusted these people and she trusted Zack. Carefully, she took a tiny sip and found she liked the flavor. Soon the cup was empty.

Zack entered, now dressed only in a pair of gray sweatpants that he probably borrowed from Cloud. Callandra blushed slightly at the sight of Zack's chiseled torso.

"Well," Tifa took the cup, "I guess I'll let you both get some rest. The bathroom's through there," she indicated a door to their right, "I'll wake you when it's time for dinner." She swept out of the room taking Callie's dirty clothes with her.

For a moment, the two looked at each other awkwardly. Then Callandra yawned. "Hmmm. I think I know what was in that tea."

"Yeah, but you need the rest," Zack said.

"So do you."

"Well, then," Zack stretched out on the other bed, "Sweet dreams."

For a moment, Callandra wondered if she should feel awkward about sleeping with a man in the room. It had been so long . . but no. She and Zack had slept very close together in their Wasteland shelter. Surely, there was nothing wrong with sharing a room especially with separate beds. _And . . . I want him to stay._ "You too." She climbed under the covers, snuggling into the pillow. Willingly, she let the tea drag her into sleep.

Zack remained awake for a long while, blue eyes fixed on the sleeping woman.

_Wow, that was a long one for me. Hope you guys like it. Please, please, review and let me know if you like it! And now, the people who were wonderful enough to review for me._

**Amberblood: **_LOL. Yeah, you ought to see my purse. It's kind of scary and I totally know what you mean. Guess Callie's just another girl. Thanks for reviewing!_

**Shade the Bat: **_ Ya never know. My muses may change their minds. They're tricky like that LOL._

**Black-Valentine-1992: **_I'm so glad you think so. I wasn't sure if anyone would like this story but I'm enjoying writing it. Thanks you so much for taking the time to review._


	6. Chapter 6

"Be quiet, Denzel! You'll wake them up."

"It was _your _idea to come in here, Marlene."

"I just wanted to see if it's really him!"

"Seeing is supposed to be a quiet activity," Zack said groggily, opening sky blue eyes to study the two small intruders who had crept into the room.

"You woke him up, Denzel!"

"Me?" Denzel squawked indignantly, "Who started talking first?"

"You're both rather noisy."

Stirring slowly, Callandra rolled over to examine the source of the childish voices. The first was a little girl with large hazel eyes. She wore a pink ribbon in her hair and her soft features suggested a sweet nature. The blue-eyed boy watched her suspiciously, hovering protectively at the girl's side. It made her sad. Someone that young shouldn't know enough to be so suspicious and wary.

Zack cast a concerned glance at Callandra but though her eyes were red, she seemed calm and rather amused. He supposed she was glad for the distraction._ We need to talk but I won't push. I have to remember that I promised not to push._ Sitting up, the brunette lifted a brow in inquiry, and rested his arm on a raised knee. "Marlene and Denzel I presume? Cloud told me about you."

"Are you really Zack?" The brown-eyed little girl asked. "I heard Cloud and Tifa talking and they said you were up here. But," she frowned, "I thought you were in the Lifestream. Cloud always looks sad when he talks about you."

"It's complicated," Zack said quietly, "But I'm here now, right?"

"Who are you?" Denzel asked Callandra abruptly, "Your eyes . . . they're just like when I had the stigma."

"I know," Callandra smiled softly, "But you don't have to be afraid of me."

"You're not sick are you?" Marlene asked, taking a couple steps towards Callandra.

Slowly, Callandra sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "No, I'm not sick."

"Cid says you're just like Sephiroth," Denzel accused.

Callandra flinched and Zack scowled, fingers twitching with the desire to wring Cid's fat neck. "Callie . . ."

"Cid's mouth is bigger than his brain." All eyes turned to Cloud who stood in the doorway holding a pile of neatly folded clothes. He frowned at both children. "What are you two doing in here anyway? I hope you didn't wake Zack and Callandra up."

"I'm sorry, Cloud," Marlene said, biting her lip, "We heard you and Tifa talking and we just wanted to see. We didn't mean to wake them up."

Denzel nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry too, Cloud."

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Cloud scolded gently.

"It was really no problem," Callie said quietly eyes averted, "I don't mind."

"Go easy on them, Spiky," Zack added, "If I'd been told there was some dead guy sleeping upstairs I'd probably want to take a look too."

"All right," Cloud sighed, "Go downstairs and do your homework."

"Okay!" Marlene gave the blonde a quick hug before taking Denzel's hand and dragging him from the room.

Cloud gave Zack and Callie an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Zack dismissed, "They're cute kids."

A small, fond smile lit Cloud's eyes. "They're great. A little too curious for their own good but they're good kids. Here." The swordsman tossed Zack's clean uniform at him and crossed the room to hand Callie her repaired clothes.

"Tifa did the best she could with it since the shirt was all torn up. She said she had to take the hem on the shirt up a bit or something like that," Cloud explained.

"I'm sure it's fine," the redhead assured, "Definitely better than I could have done." Hesitantly, she raised her head and met his gaze. For a moment, their eyes locked as they tentatively appraised each other.

Cloud smiled gently after several moments. "Tifa also said you could use her bathroom if you wanted to shower before dinner. She said to make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Callie returned the smile shyly and Zack looked away to hide his grin.

"What about me?" he whined a moment later, "I need to clean up too!"

"There's a shower through that door," Cloud said, pointing to the door in question, "Don't make a mess."

"Gee, Spiky," Zack pouted, "I just feel the love. Jerk."

A small giggle escaped Callie's mouth and the two men shared a pleased look. Cloud still wasn't completely sure about her but there was a deep pain in her eyes that he could understand. She knew what loss felt like . . . especially when you blamed yourself.

Callie sighed and glanced between the two men. She saw how they watched her and the gentle concern was easy to detect in Zack's eyes. It had been a long time since she'd had someone to worry about her. "I-I want to tell you about everything I just don't know how," she blurted.

Sharing another look with his friend, Zack tentatively reached out to take Callandra's hand. "There's no rush," he said, "I'm glad you want to tell us but remember that you don't have to. And especially not until you're ready. Anyway, dinner will be ready soon and we both need to relax. We can talk tonight if you'd like."

Quickly, she nodded. Perhaps by this evening she could find the words she'd need.

"C'mon," Cloud said, kindly, "I'll show you were Tifa's room is so you can clean up."

Clutching her clothes to her chest, she stood to follow the blonde. Callie paused at the door and cast one last glance at Zack and received a reassuring smile. Looking away, she followed Cloud down the hall.

The female SOLDIER was unused to feeling so exposed. The morning's meltdown had left her feeling shy and uncertain. She hated it. _I haven't let anyone see this much of me since before Sephiroth . . ._ She shook the thought away.

Cloud paused and opened one of the doors. "There you go. Dinner's in an hour."

"Thanks," Callie said.

"You're welcome."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Once Callandra disappeared into Tifa's room, Cloud returned to the guest room to wait for Zack to get out of the shower.

Twenty minutes later, Zack emerged dressed only in his uniform pants and still barefoot. He paused briefly in drying his hair when he saw Cloud sitting on the bed waiting for him. "What's up?"

Cloud stared at him incredulously. "What's not up? I mean, you _are_ back from the dead, Zack. Plus, you seem to have made a very interesting friend."

"She's not a bad person, Cloud," Zack said earnestly, "I can feel it."

"I never knew Sephiroth had a . . . lover," Cloud scratched his neck.

"Neither did I," Zack admitted, "Angeal never said anything about it. Neither did Sephiroth, of course."

"Can we trust her?" Cloud asked, "After all, all of Avalanche had a hand in killing Sephiroth."

Zack sighed and tossed the towel onto a chair. "I haven't known her long but I think that if Callie hated you or wanted to hurt any of you that she wouldn't hide it. I – I think she's confused but I don't think she's going to do anything." He ran a hand through his mostly dry spikes. "What do you think? I mean she saved my life and all."

"I think she's got some issues but," Cloud chuckled, "I'm not one to talk."

"Cloud," Zack said hesitantly, "I know he's your friend but if that loudmouth . . ."

"I'll talk to Cid," Cloud said, "He's not a bad guy, Zack. Kinda gruff but he's a good friend."

"Humph." Zack pulled his shirt over his head and started to do up all his belts and buckles. "Is he as good of a pilot as he says he is?" he asked as he pulled on his socks and then his boots.

"The best," Cloud confirmed, "Give him a chance. Please."

"Okay, okay," Zack sighed, "As long as he doesn't upset Callandra I'll chill out."

"Thanks," Cloud arched an eyebrow, "You're pretty protective aren't you?"

Zack looked away. "She saved my life, Cloud. And . . . she knew Angeal. When she talks about him . . . she loved him as much as I did. I guess I feel I owe it to him."

"Come on," Cloud stood, "Let's head down. Callandra can make her way down when she's ready."

Nodding, Zack paused and rested his hand on Cloud's shoulder. "I missed you, Spiky."

"I missed you too," Cloud seemed almost shy. It was so easy to fall into the old pattern of easy camaraderie. True, Cloud was close with the members of Avalanche but he'd never thought he'd have this sense of complete lightheartedness again.

Grinning widely, the first class placed an arm around the blonde's shoulder and tugged him through the door. "Let's go see what's for dinner. I'm starved."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Callandra stepped eagerly into the shower sighing as the hot water caressed aching muscles. Her hand was nearly flawless again; even the faint red lines marring the skin would fade away in the next few hours.

Grabbing Tifa's shampoo, Callie was pleased by the gentle floral scent that filled the air as she vigorously rubbed a generous amount into her hair. Normally, she preferred citrus scents but now she was glad of the soothing effect of cherry blossoms in the air. Her fingers worked to scrub away the dirt and blood clinging to her fiery locks.

Callie was badly shaken by her emotional outburst. She had worked so hard to suppress it all and in minutes, one loud-mouthed pilot had shattered all that precious composure. It was both frightening and irritating. She tilted her head back rinsing her hair before reapplying the shampoo.

Her thoughts turned to the spiky haired brunette who had dropped so abruptly into her life. _Zack's so full of life but he carries himself with Angeal's pride and honor._ He also had the prettiest blue eyes she'd even seen.

At last, Callandra stepped out of the shower wrapping one fluffy towel around her nude body and twisting another around her thick hair. She used Tifa's blow dryer and then slipped into her mended uniform. She'd lost a couple of inches off the bottom of the shirt and it was no longer a turtleneck but a plunging v-neck but she moved this way and that and was satisfied when nothing inappropriate was exposed. If she hadn't known what the shirt had looked like before her tumble down the cliff she would never have known it was altered.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly time for dinner. She found that she didn't wish to face Cid, as his eyes were too sharp and knowing. It frightened her how easily he had voiced the thoughts that had run through her head for years. It infuriated her. _I am _not_ going to allow one redneck pilot to intimidate me. I might as well just lie down and die if I do._

Squaring her shoulders, she opened the door to Tifa's room and stepped into the hall. There were no sounds coming from the guest bedroom so she assumed that Zack had gone downstairs. She descended the stairs slowly and found everyone minus Tifa, Cid, and the children already lounging around the room.

Vincent and Yuffie watched her warily, and for that, she could not blame them, but there was no hatred in their eyes, no judgment, and that realization reassured her a bit. Instead, the two seemed to be assessing her and Callie appreciated the chance to be judged for herself and not on her various . . . associations.

"Hey," Zack grinned, "You're just in time."

Moving across to room to where Zack stood with Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie something occurred to her. "Isn't this a bar? I would have thought you would have opened by now."

"Tifa and I decided that a reunion with an old friend was a good enough to reason to close for one night," Cloud replied. He let out a startled squawk a moment later when Zack glomped him and ruffled his hair.

"Aw, I love you too man," Zack teased.

"You're a dork," Cloud said ducking out of Zack's hold and giving the other man a playful shove. Yuffie laughed and Vincent smirked at their antics.

Jade green eyes locked abruptly with ruby red. _Holy shit, I can feel the power coming off him._

"You can sense them," Vincent's tone was guarded.

Startled, it took her a moment to respond. "Yes," she admitted, "I can sense their power but don't think that I'll judge you for it." She chuckled wryly, "It's not like _I_ have any room to talk."

"So," Yuffie chirped from her seat on the bar, "What are you guys going to do now? Gonna stick around a while?"

Callandra shrugged uncertainly and Zack looked at Cloud.

"You're welcome as long as you like," Cloud said.

"I appreciate it, buddy," Zack said, "But at some point I need to go see my parents. Gaia, what they must have gone through." His mind flashed back to his last meeting with Cissnei. She'd promised to look after his parents. He hoped they were well. "Go with me?" Zack asked, "It's gonna be weird just showing up after all these years. I – I guess I don't know what to say to them."

"Just tell them the truth," Callie suggested softly, "After all this time how can you give them anything less?"

"I guess you're right. What about you?" Zack asked, "Will you go too?"

She was touched that the ex-SOLDER wished her to accompany him on such a personal matter. "If you'd like me to."

"Count me in," Cloud added, "We might even be able to get Cid to fly us there." The blonde shook his head when Callie seemed hesitant. "Don't worry about Cid. Everything will be fine."

* * *

_Well, there it is. I have more written but it's still kinda rough so I decided to hold off. Plus I need to get Second Chances updated soon. I'm nearly done with school so hopefully after this week I'll have more free time. Please, don't forget to review. I need to know what my readers are thinking so I can write a better story. _

**Shade the bat: **_ It was a near thing but Cloud kept some of his manly pride. LOL._

**KajiMori:**_ Thanks so much!!_

**Amberblood: **_It was supposed to be a surprise. I put in very, very subtle hints but it was definitely supposed to blindside the reader. Guess it worked huh? LOL. But yeah, if you missed the clues don't feel bad because you'd have to be looking for them to find them. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!_


	7. Chapter 7

"All I'm asking is that you give her a chance, Cid!" Tifa huffed, placing both hands on her hips where she stood in front of the oven.

"Did ya look at her, Tifa?" Cid snapped, "Did ya see her eyes? She's the fuckin' female version of Sephiroth. She was his _lover_ for Shiva's sake. How can ya just forget everythin' that psychopath did to us?"

"I don't forget, Cid," Tifa said quietly, "It was _my_ hometown he burned and _my_ father that he killed. I loved Aerith as much as anyone else did. I won't ever forget."

Cid's harsh features softened. "I'm sorry, Tif, but I just don't understand how you're so calm about all this."

Sighing, Tifa glanced over at Denzel and Marlene who were quietly doing their homework in the corner. Slowly, she let out her breath and then began to speak. "When . . . when Sephiroth lost it in Nibelheim . . . it was Zack who found me first. H-he wanted to help but. . . I was hurt and had just lost my father. I hated Shinra and everyone in it. I told Zack that I hated him and then . . . well, I didn't know it at the time but he fought Sephiroth and then spent the next four years in a lab. Then he died and Cloud was so damaged by it all. Cloud wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Zack. I know now that Zack would have stopped what happened if he could have. I've spent a lot of years regretting those words, Cid. I'm not about to repeat them by blaming someone else for something they had nothing to do with."

The pilot shook his head. "She may have been the only one who could have stopped all that shit from happening. I just can't accept that she did nothing."

"Could you fight, Shera?" Tifa asked, nodding when the pilot paled. "I don't think I could fight Cloud. In a way, it took a lot of strength for her to stand back and let us do what needed to be done. If she's a strong as I think she is we could never have beaten them both."

"What do you want from me, Tifa?" Cid asked quietly, "Just to let it all go?"

"No, I want you to give her a chance."

"Fine," Cid agreed, "I'll ease up but I'm gonna be keepin' a real close eye on her."

"Fair enough." The timer on the oven went off and Tifa opened the door and used an oven mitt to pull a pan out of the oven. "Marelene? Denzel? Please, set the table. Cid would you take the salad and dressing out for me?"

Grateful to escape, Cid grabbed the salad out of the fridge along with several bottles of dressing. The pilot emerged from the kitchen to the sounds of laughter and couldn't but chuckle a bit himself at the sight. Zack had Cloud in a headlock, which the blonde was valiantly trying to escape from.

"Damn it, Zack," Cloud laughed, "I'm not a chocobo!"

"Sure look like one," Zack teased, ruffling Cloud's hair.

"Ack! Stop that! If I'm a chocobo then you're a porcupine," Cloud smirked triumphantly as he finally broke Zack's hold. "And if you keep it up I'll tell them about a certain limit break of yours."

"There's nothing wrong with the Chocobo Stomp," Zack protested.

"Chocobo Stomp?" Vincent repeated, and above the cape his eyes sparkled with amusement and Yuffie and Callie laughed.

"I'll have you know it's totally kick ass," Zack said indignantly.

"Maybe," Cloud allowed, "But you always looked ridiculous doing it."

Silently, Cid blessed Zack Fair. Cloud had been doing a lot better since he had defeated Kadaj and the resurrected Sephiroth. Tifa had even managed to coax the blonde into a slowly blossoming relationship. But, none of them had been able to put this kind of life into Cloud's troubled eyes. The swordsman's cheeks were flushed with laughter and he smiled fondly at the brunette as they bantered back and forth. In that moment, Cid glimpsed Cloud as he had been before Sephiroth and Hojo's lab. Perhaps still a little wary, but alive with youth and good humor.

As Cid continued to watch, it was clear that Zack was a miracle worker. Vincent seemed bemused by Zack's energy but also genuinely appeared to like the younger man. Yuffie watched him with the beginnings of hero worship and Callandra . . . it caused Cid to catch his breath.

The redhead was radiant with laughter. The creature before him was very different from the defensive and emotionally distraught young woman of that morning. Her eyes sparkled and there was nothing sinister in their depths. The pilot would never have believed she was capable of such unbridled joy. _Damn it all. Maybe Tifa is right._ He was saddened a moment later when Callandra spotted him and the laughter faded from her eyes to be replaced with their earlier wariness. That sadness deepened when Fair's eyes hardened as the First Class realized the cause of Callie's sudden discomfort.

"Tifa said to tell ya dinner's ready," Cid said gruffly as Marlene and Denzel appeared arms laden with plates, silverware, and glasses.

Marlene shuffled forward, having a hard time balancing her plates and silverware the pile teetering dangerously.

"Here," Callie stepped closer, "Let me help."

"Thanks!" Marlene beamed as the woman relieved her of the top three plates and the silverware.

Denzel, carefully carrying his tray of glasses had tensed as Callie approached the hazel-eyed girl but now relaxed and gave the woman a tentative smile, which she returned.

Tifa entered with a pan of lasagna effectively breaking the tension.

"All right!" Zack cheered, "You totally rock, Tifa."

Giggling, Tifa gestured for everyone to sit down. "Thanks. Okay, everyone. Let's eat."

Eagerly, everyone took their places at the table though the seating was carefully arranged. Marlene sat next to Cloud and Denzel who sat next to Tifa. Zack sat next to Cloud and Callandra who slid in quickly between the First Class and the ninja. Vincent came next and then finally Cid on Tifa's other side.

Zack kept conversation light, smoothly steering them away from touchy subjects. The meal was filled with laughter and noisy conversation; sometimes more than one conversation took place at once. Callandra ate and watched quietly unused to such boisterous meals. Because of their duties, it was rare when Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, and herself found time to all sit down to a meal together. When they had managed it, conversation was pleasant and with Genesis around never boring but it had lacked the unrestrained energy of this gathering.

Feeling eyes on her, Callie looked up to find Tifa watching her with a kind but searching look in her wine colored eyes.

"I wanted to thank you for letting me use your bathroom," Callie said, "And for fixing my clothes. You did a great job."

"I was afraid that you would be upset that I couldn't fix the shirt exactly the way it was," Tifa said, smiling, "I'm glad that you like it."

"Do you and Cloud run this bar together?" Callie asked. It was a way to gain information but she also found that she wanted to talk to the other woman.

"Sometimes," Tifa said after swallowing another bite of lasagna, "Cloud also runs a delivery service, and he spends a lot of time on the road."

"That sword's amazing!" Denzel's voice rose above the rest. The boy was pointing at the Buster Sword that rested against the bar. "Where did you get it?"

For a long moment, Zack gazed wistfully at his sword. When he answered, his voice was soft. "It used to belong to a friend of mine. He called it the Buster Sword. When he . . . died, he left it to me. It's a symbol of my dreams and honor."

Cloud frowned, remembering the two times that Zack had spoken those words to him. First, was before Sephiroth burned Nibelheim and the second was on the cliff where the brunette had died.

"What was his name?" Marlene asked.

"Angeal." Zack met Callandra's gaze across the table.

"What was he like?" Denzel prodded.

Zack found himself unable to speak around the lump in his throat. Though he and Angeal had been reunited within the life stream he had lost his mentor a second time because of Koyoto's interference. He glanced helplessly at Cloud. It was Callandra who finally broke the silence.

"Angeal, was a good man," she told the boy softly.

"You knew him too?" Marlene asked in wonder.

"Yes," Callie said, rising and walking over to the sword. She glanced at Zack for permission and upon receiving a short nod, lifted the sword. "The only things that Angeal loved more than this sword were his friends. Angeal was a quiet man but he didn't need words. His actions showed what kind of man he was. He was a great mentor . . .," her eyes locked with Zack's, "And an even better friend."

"Do you have a sword?" Denzel asked.

"She has two," Zack replied, "They're katanas. Gunblades actually. She's pretty good with them."

"Can we see?" The children asked in unison.

Callandra smiled and shrugged. "Okay. Hold on a minute." The redhead handed Zack his sword then dashed up the stairs.

Marlene was watching Zack. "What is it?" he asked.

"Talking about your friend makes you sad," the little girl replied, "We didn't mean to make you sad."

Zack smiled gently. "Naw. It's okay. It's good for me to remember Angeal. He taught me a lot. The good memories are worth the pain. And, I know I'll see him again."

Footsteps drew all eyes to the stairs. Callandra stopped at the foot of the steps holding a gunblade in each hand. For the first time, Zack realized that the hilts of the blades were different colors. One was a gleaming black interwoven with gold engravings while the other was a brilliant gold interwoven with black engravings. "They're called Dawn and Twilight," Callandra said as she lifted the blades for the children to see. The woman twirled the blades in her hands causing the children to squeal with glee.

"Why call them that?" Yuffie asked.

"I've found that the world is filled with dualities," Callie explained, coming closer to the table. "Everything is centered on a series of opposites that balance each other. Good and evil. Love and hate. While opposite, these things are also connected and cannot exist without the other. Dawn cannot exist without Twilight just as things of light cannot exist without darkness." Her eyes became sad. "If we cannot maintain the balance, disaster is usually the result."

"A lesson that Sephiroth taught all too well."

The room's occupant spun around to find Rufus Shinra standing in the doorway all four of his Turks in attendance. "It's been a while, Callandra."

For several seconds Callie's face seemed frozen as she struggled with her emotions. She had known Rufus since they were children. When the President had been out, she would sneak away from the labs and the two would play hide-and-seek in the President's office suite. He had been kind to her but when he had taken over the company had proven to be more ruthless than his father. Finally, she smirked.

"You know," Callandra cocked her head. "I'm not quite sure how to feel at this moment, Rufus. I'm not sure if some part of me is happy you're alive or sorry that you're not rotting with your father."

The blonde's smile was genuine for a moment. "While, on the other hand, I'm not sure if I'm pleased to see that you were stubborn enough to survive or regretting the complications your presence will cause."

"You could always jump off a cliff," Callie offered.

"Perhaps another time. So it's true," Rufus said, calculating blue eyes shifting, "SOLDIER First Class Zack Fair has been resurrected."

Zack stood slowly, Buster Sword clutched tightly in his hand. "Disappointed? After all, the company went through a lot of trouble to kill me." Violet eyes shifted to the head Turk. "Tseng. It's been a while. I see you lost the pony tail."

"I needed a change." Tseng shrugged, "I believe that you and I have much to talk about when there is time."

"You got that right, buddy," Zack agreed. "Where's Cisssnei?"

"Cissnei left the Turks shortly after . . . after we received news of your death," Reno answered, some vague emotion briefly flashing in his eyes. "She's living in Gongaga with your parents." Reno's eyes locked with Zack's, "Ciss said it was the least that she owed you. I think she's what kept them sane all this time."

Sky blue eyes shimmered with tears as Zack swallowed. "Cissnei's a good friend," Zack whispered hoarsely, "I hope she's well."

"She is. They all are," Tseng soothed before his lips lifted in an odd smirk, "Callandra, it's rather ironic that you would find your way into this rascal's company."

"Maybe I like rascals," her eyes lit with the tease, "That's your problem, Tseng. You're just too serious."

"What about me, Red," Reno drawled, his EMR tapping gently against his shoulder, "Aren't you going to say hello?"

"Hello, Reno," Callandra sniffed, "I see you've managed not to crash into a mountain yet."

"Well ain't this just a fuckin' wonderful little reunion," Cid cracked, "Anyone care to tell me just what the hell's going on here?"

"What are you doing here, Rufus?" Cloud demanded, rising to stand at Zack's side. Callie eased forward to Zack's other side, gun blades gripped tightly in her hands. The other members of Avalanche rose slowly to their feet. True, the Turks and Rufus had helped them during the Reunion but they had been through too much to trust a Shinra completely. The Turks sometimes stopped by the bar for lunch but Rufus almost never had any direct contact with them. It made Cloud uneasy that something had Rufus concerned enough to come himself.

"I merely came to confirm the rumors," Rufus shrugged, "It's not every day that the dead come back to life. Though, I must admit I'm surprised to find Callandra here." Cold blue swerved to study the female SOLDIER. "You proved very hard to find, my dear. It was most vexing for my father."

"I'm touched that he looked, Rufus," Callie sneered, "I'm sure Hojo was so disappointed in his failure."

Rufus' frosty eyes became glacial. "You know I hated that bastard just as much as you did, Callandra. The pits of Ifrit are too good for that slime."

"What do you want, Rufus?" Callie sighed tiredly, "No bullshit. Get to the point."

"Very well," Rufus said, "I want your help tracking down Koyoto."

"What do you know about that asshole?" Zack demanded, "And why would I want _your_ help dealing with him? I don't exactly have the best history with Shinra if you'll remember."

"Despite the unpleasant . . . termination of your position, you were one of our best, Zack," Rufus reminded him, "Surely, not all the memories are bad."

Pain and anger warred in Zack's eyes. "You know _nothing_ about it. You have two seconds to tell me what you want or so help me . . ."

"Zack," Callie murmured, grabbing his arm lightly, "Maybe we should hear him out? We might learn something useful."

"I want nothing to do with Shinra," Zack growled, blazing blue eyes locking with hers.

"Neither do I," Callie said evenly, "But we can't pass up an opportunity to learn more about our enemy. Besides," she glared at Rufus and his Turks, "I can always kill them if I think they're lying."

"Hold up a minute," Reno interjected lazily, hold his hands up soothingly, "I think we're getting off track. We got a lot to talk about but I don't think this is a subject for the kiddies, yo," Reno gestured towards Marlene and Denzel who watched the confrontation with wide eyes.

"Reno's right," Tifa said, laying a soothing hand on Cloud's arm. His hands had balled into fists but relaxed under her touch. "Let's just calm down and talk about this, okay? Marlene and Denzel, please go upstairs. Stay there until we come and get you."

"But Tifa!" both children whined.

"Do what Tifa told you," Cloud said firmly, "You can watch TV in my room. No eavesdropping either."

Sighing, Marlene and Denzel nodded and stomped up the stairs. Despite the tense atmosphere in the room, the adults couldn't help but be amused. Elena let out a giggle from her position behind Rufus.

Diplomatically, Tseng gestured towards one of the tables. "May we sit, Tifa?"

Flashing the head Turk a grateful look she nodded. "Of course. I'll get us something to drink. I think we'll need it."

One by one, the others sat down, thanking the brunette absently as she placed their favorite drinks in front of them. For Yuffie she provided Sake. Cloud usually drank Rum and Zack and Callandra indicated that they'd take the same. Vincent mutely accepted his glass of bourbon and Cid just grabbed the bottle of Corellian whiskey. Tifa hesitated then looked over at Rufus. "I know Rude, Elena and Reno prefer whiskey but what about you, Rufus?"

"Scotch will suffice," Rufus replied. After delivering a glass of scotch for Rufus and Reno, Elena and Rude's whiskey, Tifa served Tseng's Sake last. Reminded of Tseng's Wutain ancestry, Yuffie and the Turk shared a look across the table.

Yuffie stuck out her tongue. "Damned Turkey," she muttered.

Chuckling, Tseng lifted his glass, "Always a pleasure, Princess."

Tifa took her seat next to Cloud and the blonde glared over at Rufus. "Okay, Rufus, tell us why you give a damn about Koyoto."

Taking a sip of his scotch Rufus met Cloud's glare calmly. "It recently came to my attention that one of Shinra's former scientist had started gathering all of Hojo's notes that he could."

"And you cared because . . ." Cloud pressed.

"Don't be a fool," Rufus snorted, "We've all seen the dangers that mixing mako with humans can bring. The Stigma drove out any lingering doubts in my head. So," Rufus leaned back in his chair, "I sent my Turks to investigate." Taking another sip of his drink, he sighed. "It seems the man is intent on recreating his own version of SOLDIER . . . with men engineered to be as close to Sephiroth as possible."

"What?" Vincent hissed, "The people of this planet did not got through so much suffering to overthrow one tyrant to witness the rise of another."

"Over my dead body," Cid barked.

Smirking at Vincent's use of the word "tyrant" in reference to Shinra, Rufus nodded in agreement. "I think we've all had enough of the past . . . unpleasantness."

"Then why were you looking for Jenova's head?" Cloud demanded, "I let it slide then because you guys helped us with the Remnants but now I need to know."

"I was searching for a cure for Geostigma," the blonde said calmly.

"If Jenova cells were at the root of the stigma," Tseng said, "It was likely that they could also show us a way through the problem."

"Yeah," Reno drawled, "Not everyone was ready to just roll over and die."

Frowning, Cloud whipped him the finger. It bothered him to think of how ready he was to give up at the time.

Sensing his friend's unease, Zack turned the subject from Cloud, "So, what are you getting at? What do you want from us?"

"I propose that we join forces," Rufus said, "I'll have my Turks help keep Koyoto's men off you and provide information in exchange for your help dismantling their operation."

"Sounds reasonable," Cloud admitted, eyeing Rufus suspiciously. _There's something he's not saying_.

"Ouside, Rufus," Callandra stood, startling everyone.

The ex-president shot her a glare. "Pardon?"

"I want to speak to you outside," she repeated, gesturing to the door impatiently.

The Turks started to stand as Rufus did so grudgingly but Callie shook her head.

"No. Tseng only since he's permanently attached anyway."

"Reno will accompany us as well," Rufus insisted, "But the rest will remain here."

Considering a moment, Callie nodded. "Fine."

"Yer goin' by yerself?" Cid asked suspiciously.

Jade eyes hardened to green diamonds. She understood Cid's suspicion but that didn't mean it didn't irritate her. "Fine. I'll ask Cloud and Zack to go with me. Wouldn't want me striking a deal with the devil that destroyed my entire life after all." A scathing snort issued a patrician nose. "Unless you don't trust _them_?"

"Fine. Suits me," Cid growled, "And don't put words in my mouth."

Rolling her eyes, Callandra, Rufus and the others stepped out in the early evening air.

"What is it?" Rufus snapped once they were outside.

"I know you better than this," Callandra crossed her arms, "You're hiding something. You're not being completely honest about your reasons for getting involved."

Frosty blue eyes calculated then became resigned. Even after all this time she knew him well. "Three days ago, Koyoto's men attempted to abduct me. The Turks drove them off but I assume they'll try again."

"Wait a minute," Cloud shook his head, "They tried to kidnap you, and then they bring Zack back from the life stream. Why?"

"Don't you get it, yo?" Reno sighed impatiently. "The boss was injected with mako and Jenova cells. SOLDIER boy here was one of the best there was. He's been injected with S-Cells according to Hojo's files and so have you. It's safe to assume that you're next on Koyoto's hit list. If he captured any or all of you, he'd be able to get a lot more insight into Hojo's work. Plus, if he could find a way to control you the whack job'd have a lot a fire power at his disposal."

"But," Zack glanced anxiously at Callandra, "What about Callandra. Isn't she . . . " Zack trailed off uneasily.

"I'm as close to Sephiroth as he'll ever get," Callandra whispered, her face ashen.

"He's going to come after you," Rufus predicted, "He's already got some mako enhanced goons working for him. We haven't been able to determine where he's getting the mako from. His base of operations is probably located near one of the old reactors but we haven't been able to find it."

"And there's safety in numbers," Cloud deduced.

"Correct," Tseng said, "We all want the same thing here."

"I don't see that we have a choice," Cloud sighed.

Zack frowned not liking the situation but agreeing with Cloud. "Our best bet is if we all watch each other's backs."

"I'm warning you, Rufus," Callie's face was grave, "Don't cross us."

"It's always the same with you," he drawled, "However I am surprised that you'd latch onto the group the killed your precious Sephiroth."

Flinching, any remaining color drained from Callandra's already pale skin. Zack touched her arm reassuringly, glared at Rufus and growled, "That was low."

"It was only the truth," Rufus taunted.

Feeling the arm under his hand tremble, Zack took a step towards the ex-President. Reno and Tseng tensed as did Cloud.

"Wait," Callandra choked then took a deep steadying breath. She allowed the pain to show in her eyes as she looked up into the glacial eyes.

"We were friends once, weren't we?" she asked quietly.

Eyes softening slightly, Rufus said, "We were."

"Then trust me now. Walk with me?"

"Callie . . ." Zack protested.

"It's fine," she said "I'm fine. Well?"

"Very well. We won't go far," Rufus reassured Tseng when the man started to protest. He turned his gaze back to the redhead. "Callandra has always been a woman of her word."

They walked together in silence until they were out of the mako-enhanced hearing range of the others. Sighing, Callandra stopped walking and turned to face her former friend. "I know very well who they are," she began, "And what they've done. I thought I'd hate them for it but I don't. My reasons are my own. I don't understand them myself but I won't let you hurt them, Rufus. If you betray them I _will_ stand with them."

A heavy silence stretched between the two as Rufus gauged her sincerity. Finally, he nodded solemnly. "Despite all my sins, Callandra, I swear that this time I have no intentions to harm or betray. I have much to atone for. I've start to make amends in various ways but I doubt it will ever be sufficient."

"Don't disappoint me, Rufus," Callie pleaded.

"I won't," the words were a solemn pledge. After a moment he tilted his head quizzically. "How _did_ you become involved with this bunch?"

Sweet laughter filled the air. "It's a long story but I'll give you the abridged version." As they walked slowly back to the others she filled him on the last few days.

The spectators sighed in relief as the air danced on Callandra's laughter and the pair turned back towards them conversing amiably. There had been a few tense moments as the two had stopped just out of their hearing range but then Rufus had nodded and the tension had leaked from the air. As Rufus and Callandra rejoined them, the redhead gave Zack and Cloud a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I think we understand each other."

"Perfectly," Rufus agreed rolling his eyes, "So where should be begin?"

"I don't know about you guys," Zack said, "But I'm going home. I need to see my parents. That hasn't changed."

"You're not going alone are you?" Rufus frowned, "That would be unwise."

"Me, Cid, and Callandra are going too," Cloud informed him.

"Can you call Cissnei for me?" Zack asked, "It'd probably be better if they had some warning."

"No problem," Reno nodded.

"I'll do better," Rufus added, "If it is acceptable, Reno and Rude will accompany you. I'm sure they'd like to see Cissnei and it will provide additional protection."

"What about Tifa and the kids?" Zack pointed out, "Yuffie and Vincent are staying but still . . ."

"I'll call Barrett and Nanaki. I'm sure they could come and stay until we get back," Cloud decided, "I'll contact Reeve too. It's time the WRO got involved."

"Tseng and Elena will also help keep an eye out for trouble around here," Rufus offered.

"Thanks," Cloud said, after a brief hesitation. He turned back for the bar. "Come on. We've got a lot to do before we leave tomorrow."

Violet eyes lit up at the thought of returning home so soon. "Thanks, Cloud," Zack said softly.

A rare, brilliant smile lit Cloud's face as he put his arm around Zack's shoulder and lead him inside with the others following. "Don't mention it."

* * *

_Well, there ya go guys. It took a while but here it is. Sorry it took so long but the holidays kicked my butt and then this chapter just really gave me a hard time. Let me know what you think._

**RobynxGraves: **_ Thanks. This chapter was more serious but I hope you still like it._

**Shade the bat:**_ Glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing!_


	8. Chapter 8

Leaning against the bar, legs and arms crossed, Callie watched as Avalanche and Rufus' contingent bickered over strategy. She shifted, reassured by the comforting weight of her blades on her back. When she and the others had returned from her brief conversation with the ex-President she had strode straight to her discarded glass and slammed the rest of its contents. Glancing at Tifa and gesturing towards the bar, she had refilled that glass as soon as the bartender had nodded permission. Then she had taken up her current position, listening carefully to the proceedings but not participating. Callandra sipped from her drink saving the spices as they slid down her throat.

Zack glanced up at her often, his eyes questioning but Callie shook her head and the brunette had remained quiet. Cid watched her also, his expression confused and frustrated.

_Well, join the club, Highwind,_ she thought bitterly. _How the hell did I get pulled back into this shit? This is exactly why I've lived in a dead city for the last few years._

It was too tempting. After Sephiroth had left her to pursue Jenova's goals, Callandra had cut herself off from her previous life. Angeal was dead, no one knew where Genesis was, and Sephiroth had burned an entire village of people who'd never done anything to him. _I hated Shinra for everything that they'd done. I swore I'd never have anything to do with that life again._

Yet, she had followed Angeal's former student from the ruins of Midgar and had allowed memories to dictate her actions with Rufus. All of it was coming back so easily . . . and all that lie in that direction was pain.

Delicate brows lifted as Reno looked up from the discussion and their eyes locked. Tensing, she waited as the Turk excused himself and swaggered over to the bar.

Slouching against the bar next to her, Reno sipped from his own glass and said, "You're awful quiet, babe. I've seen that look on your face before, yo," he reminded her, "Why aren't you helping with all the strategizin'?"

"It's not like they need my input," Callie pointed out, "Everything they've said so far makes sense."

Reno grinned. "But you did listen in just to make sure."

She smiled reluctantly. "Old habits die hard."

Lifting his glass slightly, Reno nodded at hers. "It's been a while since we went drinkin' together."

Unwillingly, she laughed, the sound drawing everyone's attention. "Hojo was furious," she remembered.

Rufus, Tseng, and Rude smirked knowing what she was referring to.

Both redheads chuckled as they indulged in the memories. "It was so worth it," Reno said.

"Care to explain what's so funny?" Zack asked.

She started, looking up in dismay to find she had a captive audience. Spiced locks rustled around her shoulders as she shrugged. "It's nothing really."

"Nothing?" Reno protested, "Damned near got me killed."

Tseng chuckled and Rufus's eyes sparkled in amusement.

"Okay," Zack whined, "Now you HAVE to tell us."

"Tseng and Reno were with me on a mission that turned out to be more . . . unpleasant than usual. I was a little . . . upset as we returned to headquarters," Callie explained.

"So," Reno chirped, "Being the super nice guy that I am, I decided to take her out on the town to cheer her up."

"He means he took her bar hopping," Tseng elaborated.

"Only problem was that we didn't tell anyone where we were going," Callie added, eyes dancing, "Angeal, Genesis, and Seph were panicking because Tseng had told them about the mission and they couldn't find me and I had turned my PHS off. Hojo was having bandersnatches because I was out from his creepy thumb for a few hours and he was afraid I wouldn't come back."

"So, when we got back I had three First Classes and one deranged scientist pretty pissed at me," Reno shrugged, "They totally over reacted."

"You were gone nine hours, Reno," Tseng reminded him as the others chuckled, "And you brought her back rather drunk."

"She was in one piece, yo!" Reno cried, "Not a scratch on her."

"Fortunately for you," Rufus smirked.

"Anyway," Callie continued, "I finally managed to calm Angeal, Gen, and Sephiroth down."

"It was more like they had their hands full sobering you up," Tseng retorted.

"All three stayed in my suite with me that night," Callandra shrugged, "They didn't trust me alone with Hojo until I could think straight again."

"I'm still surprised that Hojo didn't come after me," Reno admitted.

"That's because I threw the biggest temper tantrum Shinra had ever seen," Callandra admitted with a giggle. "I trashed half Hojo's lab and I told him that I'd tear down the rest of it if he or anyone else touched you. It didn't help any that I was really hung over and tired of all the hovering and lectures."

"Yeah, well, I got an earful too," Reno pouted, "Tseng gave it me good and then I still to hear from three pissed commanders."

"You like to live dangerously, Reno," Zack laughed, "Wish I could have seen Hojo's face . . . or maybe not."

The Turk agreed good naturedly, satisfied that his mission was accomplished. The shadows had left Callandra's eyes and they again glowed with the vibrancy that was the very essence of her spirit.

Cid laughed along with the others but his eyes were thoughtful. In many ways, Callandra reminded him of Yuffie. True, Callandra could sit still for more than five minutes at a time and was not in the habit of picking pockets, but there was something about her when she was happy that reminded him of the spirited ninja who was like a daughter to him. He sighed.

"Why don't ya both get yer asses back over here and sit down," Cid barked, "We got alotta plannin' to do."

"Keep yer pants on grandpa," Reno drawled, moving back to the table and taking his seat.

"Grandpa?" Cid growled, "I fuckin' give you grandpa ya redheaded turkey." Sharp blue eyes turned back to the woman who stilled leaned against the bar, surprise freezing her in place. "Well? Whataya waiting for? Sit down, woman."

Jade eyes locked with crystal blue and then slowly, Callandra straightened away from the bar taking the empty chair next to Zack. With a subtle nod, she acknowledged the gesture. Callandra knew it couldn't have be easy for him. Cid nodded in gruff approval before turning his eyes away. Those who knew Cid best shared knowing looks.

Rufus opened his mouth to get back to work but Marlene's voice called out from the stairs.

"Tifa? Cloud? It's getting late, can we come say goodnight?"

"I'm sorry guys," Tifa said, "I didn't realize it was so late. It's okay, you can come down."

The children hurried down the stairs, Denzel dressed in dark blue pajamas while Marlene was dressed in a pink nightshirt covered in moogles, her soft hair loose and falling almost to her waist.

"Say goodnight to everyone and then I'll tuck you in," Tifa smiled.

Denzel hugged Yuffie and Cloud and said goodnight to the others before returning to Tifa's side. Marlene politely said goodnight to Rufus and the Turks receiving murmured goodnights and a pleasant smile from Elena. She kissed each member of Avalanche on the cheek before pausing next to Zack and Callandra. The ex-SOLDIER smiled when she shyly placed a quick kiss on his cheek before doing the same to Callandra.

"Pleasant dreams," Zack said.

Marlene nodded and went over to Tifa. Cloud cleared his throat.

"I won't be here when you get back from school tomorrow," Cloud told the children who frowned, "Cid, and I are going with Zack to visit his parents. We'll be back in a few days."

"You haven't seen your parents in a long time?" Marlene asked Zack while Denzel glared accusingly.

"More than ten years," Zack replied quietly.

"Wow," Marelene's eyes widened, "They must miss you a lot."

"Yeah," Zack swallowed, "That's why it's so important I go to see them now."

Marlene took Denzel's hand tugging him towards the stairs. "Have fun," she told Zack, waving at everyone as they dashed up the stairs, Tifa following with a fond smile on her gentle features.

"What steps do you want to take for their protection?" Callandra asked when she was sure the children were out of earshot.

"What?" Cloud asked sharply.

"Cloud," Callandra shook her head, "Koyoto brought a man back from the dead just so he could experiment on him. It is highly probable that you will be one of his targets. Do you think that he will hesitate to use the kids against you?"

Kadaj certainly hadn't. Cloud had no desire to relive that nightmare. "You're right," he agreed, "But Tifa and the others will be able to look after them. Reeve is sending some of his men. They should be here in two days."

"What about when they're at school?" Callandra pressed, "Or on their way? Do they walk to school?"

"No . . . they take the bus," Cloud said.

"Tseng or Elena will patrol the school while the children are there," Rufus said, "Someone can drive them to and from school."

"Maybe Rude should stay here," Callandra suggested, "You'll be spread pretty thin with both of them gone."

"She's right," Reno agreed, "The five of us will be able to handle things in Gongaga. Plus, Ciss will be there." Reno had called Cissnei as soon as they had returned to bar. The ex-Turk had been shocked at the news.

_Flashback_

"_He's . . . Zack's alive?" Cissnei whispered, "How?"_

_"It's a long story but the short of it is that some whacko scientist found a way to bring him back," Reno replied, "Wanted to use him for experiments."_

_"No," Cissnei sounded furious, "Zack's been through enough of that. Is . . . Is he okay?"_

_"Seems like it . . . or as good as he can be, yo," Reno soothed, "But you'll get to see for yourself. We're heading to Gongaga tomorrow morning. Zack wanted me to ask if you could talk to his parents. Doesn't want to give 'em a stroke or something."_

_"Of course. Oh Gaia," Cissnei groaned, "What am I going to say to them?"_

_"I'm sure you'll think of something. Look, I gotta go, Ciss. See you soon, yo."_

_"Gee thanks. See you, Reno."_

_End Flashback_

Rude nodded his agreement to Reno's statement.

"That would be wise," Tseng said after glancing at Rufus, "It will allow us to seek out some information while you're gone. I don't like leaving this go even for a few days."

"Then it's settled," Rufus stood, "We'll return first thing in the morning."

While Cloud and Rufus talked quietly, Callandra stood and drifted away from the group. Reno had managed to distract her but after the humor had worn off it had only made reality more painful. Tseng walked towards her and she tensed.

"It is sincerely good to see you again, Callandra," Tseng said, "Even if you seem to have mixed feelings."

Sighing, Callie ran a hand through her hair. "It's not really _you_, Tseng, so, please, don't take it personally."

"Tseng," Zack called, "Got a minute?"

The Turk nodded. "I will see you tomorrow, Callandra," he said as he turned and walked towards Zack.

Jade colored eyes darkened in pain as the swept across the room and the small groups that had formed. Truly, she was glad deep in her heart that Tseng and Reno were alive and even Rufus. But it hurt. She watched as Reno made a remark that caused Cloud to roll his eyes and Tifa to raise a hand to cover a grin. Rufus groaned. Tseng and Zack were by the door speaking quietly but earnestly. Rude and Elena stood by Vincent and Yuffie and the two women were making derogatory remarks about someone named Don Corneo.

What was she doing here? This was only going to open old wounds. Even now, she could feel several of them beginning to bleed. The good memories hurt as much as the bad. Yet, her eyes locked on Zack as his features softened and he smiled fondly at the head Turk, how could she leave?

Needing to escape, Callandra dashed quietly up the stairs and crept down the hall to the room she had slept in before. Closing the door behind her, she spotted her duffel in the corner of the room. Crossing to it, she sat it on one of the beds and dug out the picture. Shaking fingers ghosted tenderly across the faces of the men she had loved. Suddenly, the room felt too small. Jade eyes locked on the window and wrenching it open, she easily swung herself onto the roof with one hand, the other holding onto the picture protectively.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tseng and Zack watch Callandra move swiftly up the stairs. A quick look at Reno showed he was also aware of the woman's silent departure.

"I wish I knew how to help her," Zack sighed.

_Some things never change,_ Tseng thought warmly. "She is a proud woman," the Turk said quietly, "Callandra will not accept help until she is ready to do so."

"I've seen what happens when people are too proud to let someone help them," Zack retorted, "I don't want to see it happen again. Not to her."

"Tread carefully, Zack," Tseng warned, "If you push too far, she _will_ push back."

"You and Reno sound like you know her pretty well," Zack observed.

"Yes and no," Tseng said. "We know her in the way of battle comrades - of people who have fought together. We protected each other's backs when it was necessary. We were one of the few people who knew who she was and who she didn't have to hide around. Yet, there were only three people with whom she was completely open."

"Zack." Rufus approached, ending the conversation. "When you . . . disappeared, ShinRa seized the contents of your bank account. It was quite substantial at the time. I will see everything that was yours returned to you. I'll have the account number for you tomorrow."

"I don't need anything from ShinRa," Zack said, eyes narrowing.

"Perhaps," Rufus said calmly, "But it isn't ShinRa's. It's yours. Think of it as stolen property. Allow me to make some small amends by returning it to you."

"I don't owe you anything," Zack warned.

"No," Rufus agreed, "You don't."

"Then . . . fine, I guess. It _is_ mine after all," Zack agreed reluctantly.

"Excellent. We will see you tomorrow then. Tseng." Rufus lead his contingent towards the door.

Tseng nodded respectively. "Tomorrow, Zack."

"See ya."

Once Rufus and his Turks were gone, Cloud sighed. "What a mess."

"I'm sorry to drag you all into this," Zack said.

"This Koyoto would likely make trouble whether you had come or not," Vincent pointed out.

"Still, I feel bad," Zack scratched his head.

"Well, don't," Cloud scolded. He frowned. "Where's Callandra?"

"Headed upstairs a few minutes ago," Zack shrugged.

"Girl's like a damned cat," Cid grumped.

"This has to be confusing for her," Tifa said as she started to gather the glasses.

"I'm going to go check on her," Zack decided.

"Give it a few minutes," Tifa laid a hand on his arm. "Give her some time to compose herself."

Slowly, Zack nodded. Tseng and Tifa were right. Callandra was proud and tat pride was what had kept her going the last few years. It had also taken a beating lately. The brunette understood what it was like to have nothing left but one's pride.

He ran his hand through his hair tugging slightly with frustration. _I miss you, Aerith. You always knew what to do in these situations._

_You'll figure it out, Zack,_ the beloved voice swept through his mind like a warm breeze, _You always do._

_I won't let you down, _Zack thought, with a slight nod.

_You never have._

"Zack?"

Blinking, the ex-SOLDIER found the others watching him worriedly. He smiled. "I'm okay."

Cloud's eyes brightened in understanding. "She gave you a pep talk, huh?"

"Yeah," Zack chuckled wistfully. He sighed. "Okay, I'm going up."

"Good luck," Tifa grinned.

Rolling, violet eyes, Zack sprint up the stairs, Pausing, he knocked, then opened the door of the room he'd slept in earlier. The room was empty. Zack froze, then slumped in relief when he spotted Callandra's duffle on one of the beds. A breeze danced through the room drawing his gaze to the open window.

Lightly, Zack climbed out the window and swung himself onto the roof. Though she had no doubt heard him, Callandra made no move to acknowledge his presence. She sat alone, knees drawn to her chest and her spiced hair falling around her in a protective curtain. In her hands Callandra clutched the picture Zack had seen before though the jade eyes seemed to stare through it.

Moving quietly across the roof, Zack sat down next to her; one leg raised, and rested his arm on his knee.

Callandra tensed as Zack eased down beside her but slowly she felt the tension ease when he said nothing. For a long time, they simply sat, Zack staring out over Edge and Callandra staring at the photograph cradled tightly in her hands. Tender fingers ran over the beloved faces. She thought of the pain of losing them and the bittersweet joy of seeing Tseng and Reno again. She'd wandered alone for years. Now, old friendships beckoned and new ones danced temptingly within reach.

"I'd forgotten," Callandra whispered, more to herself than Zack.

"Forgotten what?" Zack coaxed, turning towards her. He ducked his head in an attempt to meet her eyes.

Glancing at the brunette Callie sighed. "I've been hiding," she shook her head, "I've been so consumed by my pain over Angeal, Genesis, a-and Sephiroth, that I forgot how much I respect Tseng and how Reno always made me laugh."

Wavy, spiced locks obscured her vision as she bowed her head. "I wish I hadn't remembered," she said ashamed. "It hurts more now. I don't know how to stop running," she cried, looking up at Zack, "I'm so confused."

Zack's sky blue eyes were sympathetic and Callie could see that the ex-SOLDIER was considering his words carefully.

"Maybe it hurts because you're afraid. You've spent years convincing yourself that you've lost everything – and I know you've lost a lot - but now you're not alone. At least you don't have to be and you're just afraid of getting hurt again."

Callandra allowed Zack to place his hands on her shoulders. She smiled faintly at their warmth.

"You're a lot strong than you think," Zack said fiercely.

"How do you know?" Callie demanded, "We just met a few days ago."

"Because you _survived_," Zack said earnestly, "That alone took guts. And," he smiled, "You're NOT hiding anymore. You're here now, aren't you?

"I am, huh?" Callie said, nodding.

"Yeah, you are. You're in a weird situation that'd be hard for anyone but, you're here and you're fighting." Zack released her shoulders. "And even if I can't always I understand. I'll always listen. And I know Cloud and Tifa would too."

"They're good people," Callie admitted, "They all are," she hesitated, "They're a family. I – I like them."

"I'm glad," Zack smiled gently.

Slowly, Callie uncurled from her previous huddle and, when Zack held out an arm, leaned tentatively into Zack's side. Zack wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they fell back into the comforting silence as the last of the sun's ray faded from the evening sky.

* * *

_And there you are. I know I said I'd update Second Chances before this one but the Dante and Vergil muses aren't cooperating. However my Zack muse was very cooperative so here we go. Please be sure to let me know what you think. I took some chances in this chapter and I hope it works._

**Amberblood:**_ Yeah, I have a love/hate type of thing with Rufus. We'll see if he manages to behave himself in this story._

**Shade the bat:**_ LOL. Yeah, gotta love Reno. There's lots of him in this chapter. Hope you liked it._

**Cit of Dis:**_ I hope I did as well with keeping them all in character as I did in the last chapter. The interaction between Zack and Callie was tricky. I'm trying not to rush things. Let me know how I did._

**:**_ Thanks! Glad you like it._


	9. Chapter 9

_I'd like to send a special thanks to MakoStorm for agreeing to beta this story especially since she agreed to take it when it was already in progress. Thanks!_

* * *

"What were you and Tseng talking about?" Callie asked softly.

"About things that happened back then." Zack sighed, "I believe Tseng when he says that he did everything he could to help me. I even remember reading in some of the reports left at Shinra Mansion that a Turk kept pestering them and trying to get in to see me. It had to be Tseng. It's just hard not be angry."

Sighing again, Zack shook his head. "I was _so_ close when they caught up to us. If I hadn't died then Cloud wouldn't have gone through everything he has, Aerith might still be alive, and we'd be together with all our friends. I've forgiven Tseng though because it was never really within his control. Everyone who was really to blame is dead and now I don't have anyone's ass to kick."

"I wish I could forgive as easily as you have," Callandra admitted.

Zack smiled and squeezed her shoulders, "I think you've gotten a pretty good start. Now, come on. We should talk to Cloud about tomorrow some more before we go to bed." Gracefully, the First Class rose and extended a hand down to Callandra.

Smiling back, Callie took his hand and let him tug her to her feet. Silently, they made their way to the edge of the roof and swung back inside. The woman placed the photograph on a small table by her bed before following Zack out into the hallway and down the steps.

The glasses had been cleaned and put away and the group was simply lounging around the bar. Vincent was checking Cerberus while Cloud polished his swords. The blonde paid meticulous attention to the edge on each knowing they needed to be in top condition for the coming trouble.

"I talked to Reeve, Barrett and Red," Cloud said as they came down the stairs, "WRO troops will be here by tomorrow afternoon and so will Red. Barrett will be here first thing in the morning. Reeve's going to do some digging and see what he can find out for us. We have the WRO's backing if we need it."

"That's good to know," Zack said, He leaned against the bar and crossed his arms, "I really hate to take you away from here right now."

"Zack," Cloud chided, "Everything will be fine while we're gone. Relax."

"Speakin' of gone, I'd better run out to the _Shera_ and make sure the crew has her ready for takeoff in the mornin'." Cid said, pulling on his pilot's jacket.

"I'll accompany you," Vincent said, placing Cerberus in its holster, "It would not be wise for any of us to be out alone."

"Did Rufus say what time they'd be here tomorrow morning?" Callandra asked, removing her swords from her back so she could sink down into a chair across from Tifa and Cloud.

"Nope," Yuffie answered, twirling on one of the bar stools next to Vincent, "He just said that he and the Turkeys would be back in the morning."

Cloud lifted his blue eyes to meet Zack's. "I know you have to be in a hurry but I want to wait until the kids have left for school. That way I can say goodbye."

"No problem, Spikey," Zack assured him, "I don't mind. Can you think of anything else we need to do in the mean time? I feel weird just standing around."

"Restless and impatient as always," Cloud grinned, "Always the puppy."

The ex-SOLDIER stuck out his tongue prompting a laugh from his audience.

"You two are welcome to any of my supplies," Cloud said gesturing to the various sword maintenance items scattered about him.

"Thanks," Callie said, "I didn't really have time to pack mine before Koyoto blew up my house, the bastard."

Sighing, Zack shook his head. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea, Cloud."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, frowning at the sudden unhappiness clouding his friend's face.

"Maybe I should wait to go see my parents," Zack sighed, "I'd hate to put them in danger because another whacko scientist is after me. What is it with me and scientists anyway?"

"It'll be fine," Cloud soothed, "We'll be able to handle any trouble. I told you to stop worrying."

"They've spent the last few years knowing you were dead, Zack," Tifa added gently, "And by now they know you're coming. I'm sure they'd be willing to accept any danger just to see you again."

Zack hesitated. "I don't know."

"When I remembered . . . everything," Cloud began quietly, "I knew I had to tell your parents the truth. It was the least I owed you after everything you did for me." Zack started to speak and Cloud shook his head, waving his hand dismissively, "I went back to Gongaga and told your parents as much of the truth as I thought they could take. Your father was heartbroken but your mother was completely devastated. You can't let that pain last any longer than it already has, Zack. You need to do this. For them and for yourself."

"We'll protect them, Zack," Callandra promised solemnly.

"Damn right," Cid agreed, "Don't worry 'bout a thing, kid. Any asshole dumb enough to mess with your parents will get my boot up their ass."

Zack rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Okay, then. And thanks."

"Don't mention it," Cid said, grabbing the Venus Gospel and heading towards the door. Vincent started to follow and Yuffie jumped off the stool.

"Hey! Wait for me. Ya never know when you might need some super ninja skills," Yuffie said tugging on Vincent's cloak.

Cid shrugged. "Just don't be yacking non-stop the whole damned way there."

"You do realize who you're talking about, Cid? Yuffie can only be quiet when she is attempting to take someone's materia." Vincent reminded him though a subtle edge of affection laced his tone.

Yuffie scowled. "You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"No," Cid retorted, leading the odd trio out the door, "It was a damned long hike through Wutai without our fuckin' materia."

"Come on, Vinny," Yuffie whined, hanging off his arm, "You know _you_ find my super ninja skills sexy."

Vincent blushed and ducked his head further behind his cape. "I did not know that thievery was supposed to be attractive."

The door closed on her reply and the others chuckled.

"Still a handful I see," Zack said.

"That's our Yuffie," Tifa smiled fondly.

Taking up a cloth Callandra began to meticulous clean her blades leaving Zack no choice but to sink down into the chair next between her and Cloud and do the same.

"It looks good," Cloud observed quietly, "I'm sorry I left it on the cliff but I-I just couldn't . . . I didn't deserve to wield it."

"It's okay, Cloud," Zack reassured him, "And you did deserve to wield it. I wouldn't have given it to you otherwise. But, I understand. Plus it's good as new so no harm done."

"It must have taken forever to do," Cloud tentatively extended a hand for the sword which Zack handed over with a gentle smile. "There's not a mark on it."

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "But I didn't do it. Callie did it while I was unconscious after she saved my ass."

Callandra looked down, porcelain cheeks warming attractively. She shrugged, pretending to be absorbed in rubbing a non-existent smudge from Twilight. Tifa nudged Cloud and gave Zack a look indicating that they should drop the subject.

"So, Tifa," Zack teased, as Cloud handed his sword back to him, "What's the odds of getting breakfast before we go tomorrow?"

"They're pretty good if you wake up when the kids do," Tifa smiled, "Speaking of which, it's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Tifa's right," Cloud agreed, reassembling his sword and rising, "Tomorrow will be a long day."

"Do you two need anything?" Tifa asked, taking Cloud's hand as she stood.

"Naw," Zack said, "I'm good."

"Me too," Callie returned her swords to their places on her back. She walked across the room pausing at the foot of the steps. "I'll see you in the morning." With a smile that made her look constipated, she walked up the stairs her footsteps nearly silent.

Zack ran a hand through his hair. "I'd better wait a minute before I go up. Don't want to catch her naked or something."

"That's probably a good idea," Cloud agreed.

The door burst open causing all three to jump. Instinctively, Zack and Cloud lifted their swords. Cid strode into the room, cursing passionately. Tifa gasped when Vincent entered next, cradling Yuffie in his arms. The ninja was unconscious and pale, her shoulder covered in blood.

"What happened?" Cloud demanded tersely as Tifa dashed forward to examine Yuffie's injury.

"She's been shot!" Tifa exclaimed, moving a piece of Vincent's cloak away from the wound.

"That Koyoto bastard is smarter than we thought," Cid growled, "Some punks ambushed us on the way back inta town. They're good. Never heard 'em. 'till they attacked."

"They were mako-enhanced, Cloud," Vincent said in his velvet and smoke voice, "They had SOLDIER eyes."

"What about the one that attacked you?" Cloud growled.

"They will not trouble us further," Vincent said simply.

"The bullet's still in there," Tifa said, "Let's get her upstairs."

"What's happened?" Callandra's voice caused everyone to jump. The woman stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Koyoto's men attacked them outside of town," Zack growled, his eyes anguished.

"They've found us already," Callie whispered as Vincent carried Yuffie across the room followed closely by Tifa.

A childish cry revealed Marlene and Denzel standing at the top of the stairs, eyes widened by shock and fear. Marlene grabbed Denzel's hand. "What happened? Is she going to be okay?"

Shaking himself, Zack moved ahead of the group and sprinted past Callie up the stairs. Gently, he steered the children back down the hall. "Yuffie will be fine. But Tifa needs room to take care of her."

Flattening herself against the wall, Callandra waited as Vincent carried Yuffie past her and down the hall to her room. Tifa followed closely.

Cid remained downstairs, his hands clenched into fists. Once Yuffie was out of sight the pilot's gaze shifted to her. Ashamed, she looked away. Unable to endure Cid's sharp gaze and afraid of what she might see there, she followed the others upstairs. One of the doors stood open and she could hear hushed voices from within.

Stiffly, she stopped just inside the doorway to see Vincent lay Yuffie on the bed in the ninja's room. His face was blank but his eyes reflected his concern. Scowling, Callandra forced her feet to carry her forward. _What's the matter with me? I'm a SOLDIER. Standing around with my jaw on the floor helps nothing._

"What can I do?" Callie asked briskly, crossing the room with determined strides.

"Help me get her clothes off so I can see the wound better. Vincent," Tifa ordered, "I think the first aid kit is still in Zack and Callie's room. Bring it to me."

"Bring my bag as well," Callandra called after him, "There's a mastered Restore in there."

Vincent nodded as he quickly left the room, cape snapping behind him.

Together, Tifa and Callandra worked quickly and efficiently to remove the girl's bloody clothes, pulling up the sheet to protect the girl's modesty as much as possible.

"Damn," Tifa said, her voice laced with worry as she wiped at the wound with the bloody bandage, "It's in there pretty deep."

Cloud entered carrying a basin of hot water and fresh bandages and clothes. "I'm going to help Zack with the kids," he said quietly, "They're pretty shaken up. Or do you need my help?"

"We got it, I think," Tifa said absently, as she bent over Yuffie trying to see the bullet lodged in her shoulder.

Nodding, Cloud left quietly as Vincent reentered. The gunman handed Tifa the kit and stepped back staring at the unconscious girl anxiously.

Gently, Callandra took Vincent's arm and urged him towards the door. Vincent let her guide him.

"This is my fault," Vincent said emotionlessly, "Yuffie . . . she jumped in front of me."

"Yuffie will be fine," Callandra said firmly, "Go downstairs, and wait with Cid. We'll let you know as soon as we're done." The redhead shoved him outside and then closed the door behind him.

"I don't know if I can get this out," Tifa breathed, a pair of Surgical probes in her hand. Her fingers trembled slightly around the tweezers-like instruments. "The bullet is so deep. I can't see it."

"I can do it," Callandra said, "I've dug out more than one bullet." She stepped closer leaning down to examine the wound. Her mako-enhanced vision allowed her to detect the glint of metal. She took the probes from Tifa. "Hold her down."

Tifa grabbed Yuffie's arms, nodding to show that she was ready. Callandra took a deep breath. Concentrating, she inserted the probes into the hole until she felt the bullet. Yuffie let out a cry of pain, her body arching against Tifa's hands. "Hold her!" Callie snapped.

Grunting, Tifa held the ninja down. "Got her. Get it out already!"

Blocking out Yuffie's cries of pain, she eased the bullet free of the wound. "Got it." She grabbed one of the cloths Cloud had brought and pressed down firmly on the wound to stem the bleeding.

"Thank the planet," Tifa sighed as Yuffie's body went limp again. She brushed several sweaty strands of hair from the girl's eyes. "Okay, let's get her cleaned up."

Silently, the women worked to clean the wound and then Callie dug in her bag for the Restore materia. She murmured the spell, watching as the healing green energy enveloped Yuffie, healing the wound, leaving behind only the faintest of scars. They washed their hands, both eager to rid them of the girl's blood.

Tifa carefully dressed the girl in a nightshirt. "There. We'd better go let everyone know she'll be all right."

"Why don't you tell Cid and Vincent?" Callie suggested quickly, "I'll let Zack, Cloud and the kids know."

Tifa nodded. Slowly, a soft smile spread over her tired features. "Thank you. We make a good team."

"Yeah," Callie's answering smile was sad, "We do." Turning, she left the room heading in the direction of Cloud's voice.

For a moment, Tifa stared after the other woman in confusion. Shaking her head, she followed the other woman to the door, turning for the stairs.

Vincent and Cid sat at the bar, a bottle and two empty glasses before them. Blue and red eyes darted up as she approached.

"Yuffie will be fine," Tifa said soothingly, as the two men slumped with relief. "Callandra managed to dig the bullet out. Yuffie's resting but you can go see her."

Cid started up the stairs immediately but Vincent only turned his head back to his glass. Concerned, Tifa stepped closer leaning down to see that Vincent's eyes were shut and his hand was clenched dangerously tight around his glass. She ran a hand lightly over his hair.

"It's okay, Vincent," Tifa murmured, "Yuffie'll be fine. Come on. Let's go see her." She eased the glass free of his fingers. Mechanically, Vincent stood and followed Tifa up the stairs.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Quietly, Callandra eased the children's door open, her heart wrenching at the sight. Denzel sat on his bed, Cloud's arm around him. Marlene was on her bed, curled up in Zack's lap, the SOLDIER rocking the girl slowly. Both of their cheeks were tear-stained. As all the room's occupants looked to her, she forced a reassuring smile to her lips.

"Yuffie'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Marlene demanded, her voice trembling.

"There was a lot of blood," Denzel added fearfully.

"I promise," Callie soothed, "We got the bullet out and we've Cured her. If you like, you can see her but you have to be quiet. She needs to rest."

"Come on," Cloud stood, keeping his arm around Denzel and extending the other for Marlene, "Let's go see Yuffie."

When Cloud and the kids were gone, Callandra let out a shuddering breath and leaned back against the wall. Her gaze locked with Zack's and his eyes glowed mako green. She knew her eyes reflected the pain in his.

Wearily, Zack stood, his eyes never leaving hers. He could see despair and mako swirling in her eyes lightening the jade until it was nearly silver. Zack could feel the mako pounding in his own veins. There was nothing to say. The two SOLDIERs left the room and walked down the hall to where Yuffie was resting.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

"She's so pale," Marlene whispered anxiously, looking up at Tifa.

"Yuffie lost a lot of blood," Tifa explained, "But, she'll be as good as new in a few days."

"That's right, squirt," Cid said, his rough voice soft, "You know Yuffie. Nothing keeps her down fer long."

"What about the people that did this?" Denzel demanded.

"We'll take care of them," Cloud promised. He knelt so that he was at their level. "I don't want to scare you but I need you two to promise me something. I need you to be extra careful, okay? Don't go anywhere alone. When you're at school I want you to stay with a group of kids at recess and don't go far from the teachers. We'll talk to your principal and see if one of the Turks can be there so you'll be safe."

"You're still going away?" Denzel frowned.

"I have to." Cloud laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, "We still need to check up on Zack's parents. If they came here, there's a good chance that Koyoto and his men will try and use Zack's parents against him. We can't let him go alone," he said.

"It's okay, Denzel," Marlene smiled bravely, "We don't want anything bad to happen to Zack or his parents, right?"

"No," Denzel admitted reluctantly.

"Good," Cloud ruffled the boy's hair approvingly, "Now, come on. Yuffie needs her rest and so do you."

"I'll sit with you guys for a while," Tifa said, "And don't worry about school tomorrow. It's really late. I'll write an excuse for you. Can one of you stay with Yuffie tonight?" She looked at Cid and Vincent.

"I will remain with Yuffie," Vincent said.

Cloud stood, and looked towards the door. Zack and Callandra stood just outside the room. Cloud frowned at the way their eyes glowed with the intensity of their emotions.

"Zack?" he asked.

The brunette only shook his head, walking away. Callandra opened her mouth, closed it, and then followed Zack. A door clicked shut down the hall.

"Shit," Cloud sighed.

"Go talk to him," Tifa urged, "I'll put the kids to bed."

"I'm going to make sure everythin's locked up tight," Cid strode toward the door, "Then I'm gonna get some shut eye. I got a ship ta fly tomorrow."

Tifa herded the kids out and Cid started checking all the windows and doors. Cloud sighed again. He straightened his shoulders and then slowly went after his friend.

OOOOOOOOO

Callandra leaned against the door. She watched Zack, studied the tense lines of his shoulders and the way he took slow breaths in an effort to keep what was left of his composure intact.

"Zack," Callie whispered, knowing he'd hear her, "Yuffie will be okay."

"Does that honestly make you feel any better about any of this?" Zack asked, looking over his shoulder.

"No," she admitted. She walked slowly forward until she was only an arm's length away. "We led our enemy here and nearly got her killed."

"No," Zack turned to face her, "_I _led them here. I'm the one that wanted to come here. Don't blame yourself."

"It's no one's fault but Koyoto," Cloud's angry voice cut in.

Callandra and Zack turned to find the blonde standing in their doorway. They hadn't heard the door open. The brunette balled his hands into fists then relaxed them.

"No, Cloud," Zack said sadly, "I brought them here. If I had realized he'd follow me here so quickly I would never have come."

"And what?" Cloud snapped, "Fought alone? Took it all on yourself again? You'd have let yourself die without ever telling me you were back to begin with?"

"Cloud . . ."

"No, Zack!" Cloud crossed the room in three quick steps. He grabbed Zack by the shoulders and shook him. "It's not your fault and it's not Callandra's. It's Koyoto's! I'm glad you came here. I want to help you. That's what friends do. And if you try to disappear I swear to the Goddess that I'll hunt you down and kick your ass." Cloud's hands gentled. "Zack, Koyoto would have come for us eventually. Me, Red, and Vincent, we've all been Hojo's experiments. Because of you we had some warning."

"Yeah," Zack smiled weakly, "I guess you're right. It's just . . ."

"I know," Cloud squeezed his friend's shoulder, "I lost you once, Zack. I won't let it happen again." His gaze shifted to Callandra who stood off to the side. He'd seen the guilt in her eyes as well. "Do you need some sense knocked into you too?"

"No," she smirked, "I'd prefer my brain not get rattled into a milkshake."

"Good." Cloud nodded. "Now, get some sleep. You've had a long day."

"I don't think I can sleep," Zack admitted.

"Neither do I," Callie agreed. "Why don't you try and get some rest? Zack and I will keep watch tonight."

"Argh," Cloud growled, frustrated, "I told you it wasn't your fault."

"I know," Zack soothed, "But this will make us feel better."

"He's right," Callandra agreed, "We can sleep tomorrow on the ship."

"Fine," Cloud conceded, "But if you get too tired come wake me up and I'll relieve you, okay?"

"Promise," Zack agreed, "Now get some sleep, Spikey. We'll take care of things here."

"All right," Cloud nodded. "See you in the morning."

OOOOOOOOOO

Vincent was dimly aware of Zack and Callandra's quiet footsteps as they patrolled the house. Occasionally, one of them would slip out onto the roof to inspect the surrounding area before slipping back in through one of the windows.

"You know, if I'm not allowed to blame myself and sulk, neither are you."

Vincent glanced towards the door as Callandra walked quietly across the room.

"Yuffie took a bullet meant for me," Vincent said lowly, "I should have stopped her."

"I'm sure you had all kinds of time for that," the redhead snorted, "I'm also sure that you neither shot her yourself nor pulled her in front of you."

"I should have sensed them," Vincent growled, "If I had this wouldn't have happened."

"If Zack and I hadn't come here this wouldn't have happened either," Callandra pointed out.

"You do not know that," Vincent shook his head, "I'm sure this scientist would have come after us eventually."

"That's what Cloud said," Callie admitted, "Doesn't mean that we don't still feel bad." She sighed. "Just don't beat yourself up too badly, huh?"

As the woman left, Vincent leaned forward, taking Yuffie's hand in his. "I'll make it up to you, Yuffie, I promise."

* * *

_Well, that was a long one. There's a lot coming in the next chapter too. I'll try and update Second Chances quickly so I can get back to this one. A lot of people have put this on their alert but only a few have revied. I know we're all busy but please just take a couple seconds to let me know how I'm doing. It sux when I'm second guessing myself. If there's something I can improve on or you feel is missing please let me know. Now my shout out to those who took the time to review.._

**MakoStorm:**_ Thanks again for agreeing to be my beta. Being able to bounce ideas off you helped a lot._

**ritsuka-hanya****: **_Not so soon but I'll try to make the next one come quicker. This chapter gave me all kinds of trouble. Hope it was worth it._

**Shade the Bat:**_ Sometimes it's better to _not_ know what Reno's said. Apparently it was so bad Cloud won't even tell me. hehe. No Reno in this chapter but he'll be back in the next._

**City of Dis: **_Thanks. You're right about Cloud and Zack and the bond is there. But, they're both dancing around the issue in their own way. The memories aren't pleasant for either of them. But they're getting there and I think they'll get there soon. Cloud and Zack have a lot to say to each other when they're ready. I think Cloud made a good start in this chapter. Let me know what you think._


	10. Chapter 10

_Special thanks to Makostorm for being my beta!_

Callandra and Zack were both down in the bar staring out into the darkness. They'd said little since the others had gone to bed though they could hear movement upstairs. Several times they'd heard Tifa's voice and knew the woman was checking in on Yuffie. They'd been making circuits through the house, sometimes separately, while others they'd walk together in silence.

"I'm going to check things out outside again," Zack said, walking towards the door.

"I'll check things out from the roof," Callie nodded.

Zack went out the front door, Buster Sword on his back. Callandra climbed the stairs yet again. She was grateful she was in such good shape otherwise all this running up and down the stairs would wear her out. Inside her room, she paused to retrieve her knives sliding them into sheathes hidden throughout her uniform before climbing out the window. She walked around the edge of the roof checking one side and then the other. Zack circled in the opposite direction. She walked to the third side and froze.

In the shadows of the alley something moved. Crouching, she waited. There. The betraying glow of mako colored eyes. Callandra drew Twilight and leapt. At the last moment, his sword flashed up block her strike. She thrust a few more times and he parried. He was good but she was better. She swung again twisting her wrist and sending her opponents sword flying into the shadows cast by the streetlights. She kicked him in the stomach and he slid across the pavement to stop near the mouth of the alley. Moving with blurring speed, she crossed the space between them sword poised to finish it.

Callandra froze. Though she could see better than most humans in the dark the dim glow of the streetlights allowed her to see what the shadows had hidden. He was so young. Chestnut bangs framed the boy's face down to his chin while the cut was shorter around back. High cheekbones still held the last vestiges of baby fat and wide glowing blue eyes looked up at her in fear. He was dressed in the blue uniform of a SOLDIER Second Class. He couldn't be more than fifteen.

Not again. The memories rushed through her and she shuddered. She lowered her sword so that the tip pointed at the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" the boy demanded. Callandra only stared at him. He reached into a pocket and drew a field knife. "Stay back."

She only stared, shivering as the memories swirled around her.

"Callandra?" Zack's rounded the corner of the building his eyes quickly taking in the woman's pale feature features and glazed eyes and the knife clutched in the frightened kid's hand.

Zack reached over his shoulder drawing the Buster Sword and pointed it at the youth. "Drop the knife, kid. I promise we won't hurt you if you do."

"I'd listen to him," Cloud, dressed in sweatpants and Cid, dressed only in his boxers and boots stood behind them drawn by the commotion. Cloud clutched his sword while Cid brandished the Venus Gospel menacingly.

Defeated, the boy slumped and dropped the knife.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"What the hell were ya doin' out there, kid?" Cid demanded, glaring at the boy who sat rigidly in one of the chairs.

"My job," the boy glared back from under his bangs.

"Just tell us what we want to know," Cloud sighed, "Because we don't have time for this."

"I can't," the boy said.

"What's your name, kid?" Zack ask, kindly.

"Max," he said reluctantly.

"You don't seem like a bad person, Max," Zack observed, "What are you doing with Koyoto's group?"

"Dr. Koyoto offered me a job. My Dad died a few years ago and I've been trying to take care of my Ma and my sister, Selphie ever since." Max looked away, "It was more money than I was making at the store I was working at."

"What do you know about what Koyoto is trying to do?" Callandra demanded, speaking for the first time since the encounter in the alley.

Max shrugged. "I just follow orders."

"Let me tell you something about your boss, Max," Callie said, coming closer. "He's working off the experiments of Dr Hojo of Shinra. And let me tell you, Hojo was a sick bastard. I should know. I was one of his experiments for most of my life. Hojo didn't care if you were a willing experiment or not. Don't you remember Meteor?" she waved an arm to punctuate the question, "I know you were just a kid but don't you remember all the people who died? Mako experimentation did all that. And that's what Koyoto's after. He'll hurt a lot of people. Right now, there's a girl upstairs who's not much older than you. Your buddies shot her tonight. Yuffie could have died. Koyoto wants to create his own super SOLDIERS so he has the power to do whatever he wants. Do you really want to be part of something like that? Is that what your mother or Selphie would want?"

Max shook his head, "Who are you guys anyway? I was supposed to spy on the building and if I saw an opening I was supposed to call for backup. Why do they want you?"

Zack laughed, "Wow they really don't tell you anything do they?" He gestured at Cloud. "Max, meet Cloud Strife and this loud mouth over here is Cid Highwind. They sent you after AVALANCHE."

The boy paled, "AVANLANCHE? Shit." His eyes narrowed, "Who are you?"

Zack grinned, "I'm Zack Fair though I doubt you've heard of me."

"But I have," Max said, "I've heard the higher ups talking about you. Why are they after _you_?"

"Because I was a SOLDIER First Class, kiddo," Zack frowned, "Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth . . . I knew all them. That's before they killed me. Your boss brought me back so I could be his lab rat."

"I-I didn't know," Max stammered, "But my Mom and Selphie . . ."

Cloud had an idea, "Do you like being in the military?"

"Yeah, I mean sometimes it sucks but I'm good at it," Max shrugged.

"I could talk to Reeve Tuesti," Cloud offered, "Get you into the WRO. The pay might not be quite as good but you'd be fighting for something honorable at least."

"Why would you do that?" Max demanded, "I'm your enemy."

"Naw," Cid shook his head, "Sounds like yer just a good kid in a tough spot who was lied to. But don't get me wrong . . . if I catch yer ass up to no good again I'll kick it all the way back to yer mama."

"So," Cloud locked gazes with the boy, "Would you like me to talk to Reeve?"

Max thought a moment and nodded. "Thank you."

"Go and stay at the hotel until someone contacts you," Cloud ordered.

"And stay the hell outta trouble," Cid added, "Don't make us regret this."

"I won't," Max promised, standing and walking quickly out the door.

Everyone just looked at each other.

"Go back to bed," Zack said after a moment.

"Are you sure?" Cloud asked doubtfully.

"Yup," Zack nodded.

"Then I'm gonna get some shut eye," Cid yawned, "Don't hafta tell me twice. Night."

Cloud hesitated then followed the pilot.

Once the others were gone, Zack turned to Callandra.

"What the hell happened out there?" he demanded, "You froze. You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Its' . . . it's a long story," Callandra sighed.

"Then you'd better start talking," Zack crossed his arms.

"It doesn't matter!" she glared.

"If that kid had been more of a bastard you'd be dead," Zack growled, "You're better trained than that."

His features softened, "Tell me. Please."

Callandra would have preferred his anger. If he had stayed angry she could have easily ignored. This earnest concern was a different matter. She sighed.

"Remember that story about when Reno took me out and go me drunk?" she asked.

"Yeah," Zack nodded.

"Well, we never told you the reason why I wanted to get drunk in the first place," Callie shook her head. "It was in Wutai. I had been sent in to bust up one of the resistance cells. It went well. I thought I finished them all but I missed one somehow. He surprised me and I reacted."

Jade eyes closed and Callandra wrapped her arms around herself. "The Resistance members were generally young but this one . . . he was thirteen years old at the most." She opened her eyes and they were haunted and filled with self-loathing. "I had basically gutted him. He died in my arms, crying and cursing me." She shuddered.

"Reno and Tseng found me. I was just sitting there in a pool of blood. It was the first time they'd ever seen me cry," Callandra whispered.

"Once we got back to base, Reno snuck me away, got me cleaned up, and took me out. I knew that Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth would want me to talk about it. I couldn't. Reno understood some things are too awful for words. We didn't say much for a long time that night. We just drank until I was too drunk for it to matter."

She smiled sadly. "Reno just started talking about Chocobo racing and how much money you could rake in if you knew how to pick the best birds to bet on. It worked. I was plastered but much calmer when he brought me home. By the time I sobered up enough for Angeal, Seph, and Gen to question me I had processed everything enough to be _able_ to talk about it. I've never forgotten ...."

"Callie . . ." Zack laid a hand on her arm, "It wasn't your fault. It's awful but it happened a lot back then. You know that."

"I do know that," she admitted. Her face hardened, "But I won't let it happen again. It'd kill me, Zack."

Not knowing what else to do, Zack wrapped her in a hug. Callandra let him, content to let someone hold her up if only few a few moments.

OOOOOOOOOOO

As the sun rose over Edge the amber light caressed Vincent's bowed head. Ruby eyes flicked up as Yuffie let out a soft moan. The ex-Turk straightened in his chair leaning forward.

"Yuffie?"

"What the hell," Yuffie groaned, eyes drifting open. "Vinnie?" Her eyes widened. "Vinnie! Are you okay?" She struggled to get up.

"I'm fine, Yuffie," Vincent sighed, assisting the flailing girl. "Yuffie, I'm so sorry. Ow!"

"Knock it off, Vincent," Yuffie narrowed her eyes, "It's not your fault."

"You hit me," Vincent accused.

"And if you don't stop being such an ass I'll do it again," Yuffie promised.

"Yuffie, it was my fault you were injured. OW!" Vincent rubbed his head.

"Vincent. _I_ jumped in front of you," Yuffie spoke slowly, enunciating carefully, "You didn't pull me in front of you. And if you say one word about my life being more important than yours then I'll thump ya again."

Vincent's features were pained. In his eyes Yuffie's life _was_ far more important than his own. Yuffie's features softened. The ninja felt touched and saddened by the emotions raging deep in the ruby eyes.

"We're friends, Vincent," she smiled, daring to lift a hand to his cheek, "And friends do this kinda stuff for each other." Yuffie dropped her hand. "Now, are you gonna stop being all angsty and retarded about this?"

"Perhaps," Vincent smirked.

Yuffie shook her head. "You'd better."

Flexing her shoulder, Yuffie was pleased to feel only a slight tenderness. "Tifa did a pretty good job."

"Actually," Vincent said, "The bullet was too deep for Tifa to remove. It was Callandra who removed it. She and Zack feel responsible for what happened. They insisted on standing guard all night."

"Arghh!" Yuffie groaned, "More angsty-emo retards." She rolled out of bed teetering as she became slightly dizzy. Vincent reached out a steadying hand which she batted away. "I'm FINE. Stop worrying will ya?"

She rifled through the dresser in search of clothes. When she reached for the hem of her nightshirt Vincent's eyes bulged.

"I will wait in the hall," Vincent said, darting for the door.

Yuffie snickered. It wasn't like she'd have actually stripped in front of the gunman. He was just really fun to mess with.

As the door closed behind him, Vincent leaned against the wall next to it. His eyes closed as he let out a relieved sigh. He heard Yuffie's muffled snicker and grinned behind his cloak. Yuffie was fine.

The girl rushed through getting dressed. She felt a bit weak from the blood loss but knew a meal would go a long way towards fixing that problem. Satisfied with her appearance, Yuffie opened her door and jumped. "Gee, Vinnie, scare a girl to death why don't ya?"

"I thought a highly skilled ninja like you would be able to sense my presence," Vincent teased.

"Are you making fun of me, Vinnie Valentine?" Yuffie huffed in mock-anger.

"Of course not, Yuffie."

"Jerk." Yuffie grinned giving Vincent a shove.

Footsteps drifted slowly across the roof.

"What the . . .?" Yuffie looked up at the ceiling.

"Callandra," Vincent decided, "Fair's footsteps are a bit heavier. Of course neither of them is really trying to be quiet. I doubt we'd be able to hear them if they were."

"They're _still_ at it?" Yuffie cried.

Vincent nodded, and then frowned as Yuffie spun and stomped back into her room. Confused, he followed.

Yuffie shoved the window open. "Oi! SOLDIER Girl. Take five already!"

The footsteps paused and then there was a moment's silence.

"Stand back," Callie called down reluctantly.

Yuffie stepped back and Callandra swung into her room landing lightly.

Haunted eyes ran swiftly over the other woman. "How do you feel?"

"Great," Yuffie chirped, "C'mon. I can smell Tifa's cooking." She grabbed Callie's arm with one hand and Vincent's with the other and started towing them across the room.

Callandra followed because she was too surprised by the action and too stunned that the girl would willingly touch her in so casual a manner. Vincent followed just because it would be easier in the end.

"So how many times did Tifa come check on me?" Yuffie asked.

"Several times," Vincent shrugged, "Zack and Callandra caught one of Koyto's men prowling around outside. Fortunately, he was little more than a boy and easy dissuaded. I don't think anyone slept well last night."

Rolling her eyes, but once again touched by her friend's concern and worried by the danger they were all in, the ninja pulled and shoved her party down the stairs.

Zack stood by a window gazing out into the early morning. He turned at the sound of feet on the stairs. His eyes were guilty and haunted and Yuffie frowned realizing that she'd seen the same look in Cassandra's eyes when the redhead had swung into her room.

"Yuffie! Are you okay, kiddo?" Zack crossed the room to examine the girl more closely. She was a bit pale though otherwise she seemed fine. The brunette vaguely wondered why she had a tight grip on Vincent and Callie. "I'm so sorry, Yuffie. This is all my fault. If I hadn't come mmph . . ."

It was hard not to remember how Zack had put up with her antics all those years ago. Even when she had tried to steal from him and led him repeatedly into danger, he had been kind and protected her. Yuffie hated to think that he was in pain because of her. The only thing to do was plow through with her usual skill.

Yuffie had slapped a hand over Zack's mouth. "I want all three of you to listen _very_ carefully. Are we listening?" She waited until all three had nodded. "Good." She stepped back to include Vincent and Callandra in her glare. "It's not your fault. Ah!" she held up a finger when Zack began to protest. "Not your fault. Vincent is supposed to be the angsty one not you. Besides, I'm fine." She twirled to prove her point. "See? So, I want you all to repeat after me: It's not my fault and I will stop being stupid about it immediately."

The trio looked at the ninja in disbelief. Yuffie stomped her foot. "Now!" she yelled.

Vincent and Zack jumped and complied leaving Yuffie and Callie locked in a staring contest. The older woman seemed unimpressed with Yuffie's threatening glare. Slowly, amusement eased into Callie's eyes causing the color to warm to the color of meadow grass.

"How about this? I still feel really bad about what happened but I'll try to stop being 'stupid' about it if it will make you happy and you'll stop yelling because it's too early in the damned morning for this."

"Hmmm," Yuffie considered a moment. "I reserve the right to remind you of this agreement if you forget and start being stupid again. I will however try to do this a little more quietly."

"I accept your terms," Callie nodded.

The women grinned, shaking hands. Vincent and Zack shared confused glances. Zack started to ask for an explanation but Vincent shook his head.

"I've learned not to ask," he said, "It just causes more confusion."

"I see your feeling better, Yufs," Cloud yawned, shuffling down the stairs. He rubbed his head sleepily. "I think the entire house heard that you're recovered." Cloud offered one of his rare smiles and wrapped the girl in a one armed hug. "I knew you wouldn't stay down long."

"Damn straight," Yuffie pumped a fist in the air. Cloud chuckled as Tifa came out of the kitchen, glass of orange juice in hand.

"Sit down, Yuffie," Tifa instructed, "You lost a lot of blood. You should take it easy for a day or so."

"I'm fine," Yuffie whined, sitting down in the designated chair.

"Yer as loud as ever," Cid groused stomping heavily downstairs. He ruffled the girl's hair affectionately as he walked passed on his way outside for his morning cigarette. Yuffie knew that this type of gesture from Cid was like a bear hug from anyone else.

Marlene and Denzel came next. Both children hugged Yuffie relieved to see that she would indeed be fine. Tifa went back to the kitchen to finish breakfast. Cid came back from his cigarette a little while later and Barrett was with him.

"Papa!" Marlene giggled as the large man lifted his daughter onto his shoulders. He patted Denzel's head. Soon the group had gathered around the table laughing and eagerly helping themselves to breakfast when Tifa returned with a plate full of scrambled eggs and another of bacon.

Again, Callandra found herself drawn to this mismatched, boisterous family. It was bittersweet. The joy of the present mixed with the pain of her past.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tifa and Vincent had just finished clearing away the last of the breakfast dishes when the Turks arrived.

"Morning yo!" Reno called striding inside.

Rufus and Tseng came next, frowning at the dark circles under everyone's eyes. Barrett was the only one who seemed well rested. Event eh children seemed happy but tired.

"What happened?" Rufus demanded as Rude and Elena filed in.

"Yuffie got shot!" Marlene cried.

"Koyoto's punks ambushed us just outside of town," Cid explained.

"But I'm good as new thanks to Tifa and Callie," Yuffie added firmly. She glared at her trio of "emo-retards," daring them to contradict , Vincent, and Callie rolled their eyes. Yuffie grinned triumphantly.

"Callandra caught one of them sneaking around outside last night," Cloud said. "Fortunately, he was pretty young and doesn't seem like a bad kid. I don't think he'll give us anymore trouble."

"You sound sure of that," Rufus observed.

"Kid's name is Max. All he wants to do is take care of his Mom and sister," Zack said, "Cloud promised to talk to Reeve and see about getting the kid into the WRO since he said he like military life."

"I called Reeve as soon as I got up this morning," Cloud confirmed, "He said when his troops arrive the Sergeant in charge of the group would talk to Max."

"You said he was young," Tseng reminded them, "How young?"

"About fifteen," Callie said softly.

Rufus, Reno, and Tseng looked at her with concern. Callandra looked away. "If I hadn't gotten a look at his face . . ."

"But ya did," Reno said firmly. He put an arm around her shoulders, "C'mon, Red," Reno teased, "This isn't exactly the best time for me to get ya plastered."

"Yeah," she grinned, "I'll be fine. Really."

AVLANCHE exchanged confused glances but Zack shook his head and they let it drop.

"Aren't the kids going to school today?" Elena asked noting the time.

"No," Tifa replied, "They had a rough night."

"We should get this show on the road, yo," Reno pointed out.

"Yeah," Cloud stood, "The sooner we get to Gongaga the better. I

"First," Rufus stepped forward and handed Zack a slip of paper, "I promised the return of your assets. Your account number and balance are all there."

Zack looked at the paper and whistled. "I didn't have this much gil."

"Interest," Rufus explained, "As well as your severance check. It's the least Shinra owes you." Indeed, Rufus would have given the First Class more if he'd though Zack would accept.

"No strings?" Zack's eyes narrowed.

"I gave you my word," Rufus gave Callandra a similar slip, "That applies to you as well."

"Rufus . . ." Callandra looked at her slip, hesitating.

"I can't give you back the things that mattered most. I know that. But I'd like to do what I can. Besides, it _is_ yours."

Callandra was at a loss and Tseng stepped smoothly into the silence. "Rude and I will see you to the _Shera_."

"I'm driving Fenrir," Cloud said, "I'll follow."

Zack took a deep breath. "I'm ready to go. At some point I'm going to have to pick up a few things." He grinned. "I can afford it now." There were several million gil in his account.

"I'm set," Cid said, "I got everything I need aboard the ship."

"Just let me grab my bag," Callie said, heading for the stairs with Cloud behind her.

Stopping at her own door, Callandra took a moment to consider Cloud as he proceeded to his own room. Cloud and Zack were so different. Zack possessed an exuberant joy of life while Cloud's was a quiet strength. Yet, that strength was grounded in love for his friends as was Zack's.

Zack was everything Cloud wanted to be. Cloud was a reminder to Zack of why he fought.

_What am I fighting for?_ Callandra asked herself as she lifted her bag from the floor. She took a moment to retrieve the picture from the table by her bed. Looking at the three men in the photo she thought, _Back then, I fought for and because of them._ She placed the picture in her bag. _Is it enough to fight for a memory? Is that all I have to fight for?_

Afraid of the answer, she shook her head and stepped back into the hall. She blushed. Cloud and Tifa stood just outside Cloud's room. One of Cloud's strong arms wrapped around Tifa's waist while the other hand was tangled in the woman's hair. Tifa stood on her toes, her hands framing Cloud's face as they kissed.

Callandra averted her eyes and walked quickly and quietly away.

Downstairs, Rude and Tseng waited for them by the door.

"Where's Cloud?" Tseng asked.

"He'll be down in a minute," she murmured. Jade eyes shifted to study Rufus.

"Don't disappoint me, Rufus," Callie pleaded.

"I won't."

Cloud and Tifa came downstairs hands clasped. "I'm ready," Cloud said.

Callandra had to admit Cloud was an impressive sight with all his swords attached to his back. She looked to where Zack stood, Buster Sword on its magnetic sheath and for a moment, his features blurred in her eyes into those of Angeal before shifting back again. She looked away.

"Be careful," Tifa squeezed Cloud's hand.

"See you soon," Cloud promised. He let go of Tifa and hugged Marlene and Denzel. "Be good."

"We will," Marlene smiled.

"We promise," Denzel added.

Cloud nodded and followed Rude outside. The marital artist approached Zack. "Take care of yourself," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Zack grinned, kissing Tifa's cheek before following Cloud.

"See ya'll," Cid said before striding out the door. He'd never been one for any type of goodbye.

Reno gestured for Callandra to hurry.

"Wait," Tifa said, locking gazes with Callie, "I know we just met but I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?" Callie asked.

"Take care of both of them," Tifa pleaded, "I can't be there so I'm trusting you."

The women shared a moment of understanding. The death of one would destroy the other.

"They'll both come back," Callandra promised, "You have my word."

As she hurried after Reno, Callie chastised herself. She knew better than to make promises like that. She knew how impossible they could be to keep. Yet, she swore that this time she'd keep her promise. She'd find a way.

"You know, Tif," Yuffie said, after Callie was gone, "I know she saved my life but you're putting a lot of trust in her."

"After all," Vincent agreed, "What are we to her?"

Rufus and Elena watched Tifa curious as to how she would answer.

"Maybe," Tifa acknowledged, "Except for one thing. She's still here. Maybe Callandra felt she owed Zack something because of Angeal but she could have left any time after Zack got here. She didn't. I'm going on a hunch. I don't think I'm wrong."

OOOOOOOOO

Cid, Callandra, Reno, Zack, and Tseng were comfortably situated in Rufus' limo. The roar of Fenrir was easily heard over the quiet hum of the car's engine. Rude was driving.

"What will you do once you reach Gongaga?" Tseng asked.

"I'm not sure," Zack admitted, "Mom and Dad probably aren't safe there anymore. But getting them to leave could be tricky."

"What about this Cissnei girl?" Cid asked.

"Cissnei was a highly competent Turk," Tseng said, "However, I will feel better once you are there to back her up."

"I'm surprised the company let Cissnei resign," Zack said, "She knows a lot."

"They almost didn't," Tseng admitted. "It was the first time that all the Turks openly refused an order. You were well thought of, Zack. When the President ordered us to kill Cissnei it was too much. Eventually, we agreed that as long as Cissnei lived quietly and didn't divulge any company information the company would leave her in peace. The President knew he wouldn't live long without the Turks to protect him. And peace was all Cissnei wanted."

Zack swallowed, "If Cissnei had gotten herself killed . . . Gaia."

"You two were close," Callie observed.

"Zack was the first time Cissnei ignored orders," Reno explained.

"Turks have a funny habit of doin' that when it suits 'em," Cid drawled.

Tseng shrugged.

"The whole lot of ya Shinra punks're crazy," Cid griped.

"You worked for Shinra too," Zack reminded the pilot.

Cid grinned, "And I'm battier than hell. Had to have been to hook up with AVALANCHE."

They all laughed.

"We're here," Rude announced, parking the vehicle.

The group climbed out and as the three Turks talked quietly, Callandra let out a low whistle as she studied the _Shera._

"Something ain't she?" Cid gloated.

"Impressive," Callandra admitted easily.

"Well, time ta get going," Cid decided, "Get yer asses aboard before they get left behind."

* * *

**Hatorisgirl15: **_ I'm glad you liked it. I personally sobbed my head off at the end of Crisis Core. It was the most heartbreaking video game checkout scene ever. I also keep an eye out for resurrection fics or fics where Zack somehow survived. As for Genesis . . . we'll see. My Genesis muse has been whining non-stop since I started this story so we'll see if I indulge him. ____. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you like this chapter as well as the rest._

**Shade the Bat:**_ Well, there were Turks AND Vincent in this one so I hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing._

**Unoqepasa:**_ oh, no! Not puppy eyes! LOL. Glad you like the story so far and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reviewing._

**Sodapoplover101:**_ I tried to up the action a little bit in this chapter. See, when I use OC's I tend to work more with character development so that she or he won't become Mary Sues. I want Callandra to be conceived by the viewers as a 'person' as much the original characters of the FFVII universe. A lot of my stories are character driven though I will keep your suggestion in mind and try not to go overboard. I hope you found this chapter improved. Thanks for reviewing. Constructive criticism is always welcome._

**City of Dis:**_ Zack and Cloud will have their moment and it's coming soon. Things have just been too crazy for them really to get a moment to themselves. Tifa is trying to be friends with Callie and like you said that's just how Tifa is. The group in general is trying to give her a chance despite whatever misgivings they might secretly have and Callie is finding that it's easy to feel comfortable with them . . . and it's scaring the hell out of her. As far as Zack and Callie's relationship . . . you'll have to be patient. Zack misses Aerith and Callie has a lot of issues to work through before she's ready for the next step. I'm just going to work on their friendship for now and let them set the pace. Though, Yuffie may try to shove them if they take too long. Thanks for reviewing!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Thanks again to my beta MakoStorm._

* * *

Reno and Tseng spoke quietly for a moment before Reno joined the others as they followed Cid up the ramp. As the pilot lead them toward the Bridge, barking orders along the way, Callandra and Reno took the opportunity to study the ship.

"You've never been on board?" Callandra asked the Turk only to be interrupted by Cid's barking laugh.

"Ya kiddin'? I'd have sooner drowned myself than let a fuckin' Turk anywhere near my baby," Cid said.

"You don't seem to be sticking your head in the toilet right now," Reno remarked dryly.

"Yer on probation, kid," Cid retorted, "But don't ya worry. If you screw up I'll shove the Venus Gospel up yer no good ass before I throw you off the ship."

The Turk rolled his eyes. "I promise," he said, "To be on my best behavior."

Cloud, Zack, and Callandra shared amused looks as the two pilots bantered.

"You just remember that," Cid said, as the doors ahead hissed open admitting the party to the Bridge.

"Okay people," Cid yelled, "Get yer lazy asses moving. I want this ship in the air yesterday."

The pilot strode easily to the wheel, calloused hands grasping the pegs with practiced grace. Cid waited as the crew reported in from the stations pronouncing all systems ready to go.

"Good," Cid approved, "Here we go."

Callandra moved further into the room looking down through the glass beneath her feet at the rapidly retreating ground. The crew worked efficiently, responding quickly to each of Cid's commands.

"I have to say, Cid," Callie said, "I'm impressed. You've got a fine ship."

"You got good taste," Cid smiled, preening like a proud papa, "You know anything about flying?"

"I can pilot a helicopter or a small plane competently," Callie replied, "But I've never flown anything this big before."

"I'll stick with my chopper," Reno decided, "No offense, Highwind."

"You have shit fer taste," Cid scowled.

"You're the one with no taste, pops," Reno smirked, "My helicopter could fly circles around this clunky bird any day."

As Cid turned puce and barked back, Cloud covered a snicker with his hand and gestured for Zack and Callie to follow him. "Come on," he said, "I'll show you were you two can rest."

The doors hissed shut behind them cutting off the sounds of Cid and Reno's squabbling. "Reno better watch it," Cloud chuckled, "Cid really will try to shove the Venus Gospel up his ass if he goes too far."

"Reno can hold his own," Callandra reminded the swordsman.

"True," Cloud acknowledge, "Now, you can use Tifa's room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Neither would Yuffie, but her room is always a mess. Zack, you can rest in Vincent's room. Just don't _make_ a mess," he warned, "Vincent is a little bit of a neat freak."

"That's kinda weird for a guy who spent thirty years in a coffin in a dusty mansion," Zack said. He thought about his words for a moment, "Or maybe it makes sense I guess."

"Here we are," Cloud said, arriving at a hallway filled with doors. "This one's mine," he gestured towards the first door. "Tifa's is the second door. And Vincent's room is the third one."

"Thank you," Callandra said, stepping away from the boys and grasping the doorknob, "I think I could use some sleep. It's been a long few days."

"Cid told me that we're going to stop in Costa del Sol," Cloud said, "That way you and Zack can pick up a few things without worrying about Koyoto's men bothering anyone. If you're not up, we'll wake you when we get there."

"Sounds good," Callandra agreed, "Night."

Zack and Cloud were left alone in the hallway but the brunette made no move to retire to his own room. The First Class realized that this was the first time that he and Cloud had had to talk privately. Zack knew there was a lot he needed to say and even more that Cloud needed to hear.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked.

"Nothing," Zack shrugged, "Wanna go up on deck with me for a bit?"

The blonde was confused and concerned but nodded anyway. "Sure. This way."

"Where did Cid get the money for this kind of ship anyway?" Zack asked as Cloud led him through the halls.

"Reeve, well, the WRO funded it," Cloud said, "Cid can do pretty much whatever he wants with her as long as he shows up when the WRO needs him."

"I always liked Reeve," Zack admitted, "I never could figure out how he made it so high in Shinra. Always seemed like he was too nice of a guy."

"As the head of Urban development, he didn't really have to be involved with too much of the darker side of Shinra," Cloud shook his head, "I think Sector Seven woke him up. He just couldn't handle that many people being killed for no good reason. Here we go."

Zack followed Cloud up a set of stairs that led to the deck. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the wind playing in his hair. He missed Aerith and Angeal but he had also missed the simple joys of the living.

The First Class used the moment to think. How could he say what he wanted to Cloud? How could he even bring something like this up? Zack didn't expect Cloud to give him the opening he needed.

"It's good to have you back," Cloud said quietly.

"I missed you too, Spiky," Zack assured his friend.

"But you're not happy to be back," Cloud said sadly.

"That's not it . . . it's just," Zack ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "I miss her Cloud. And I miss Angeal. It kind of puts a damper on things. But, I told you that I'm glad I got to see you again. I also missed a lot of things about being alive," Zack admitted, "Like the sun and the wind."

"I'm sorry, Zack," Cloud whispered, looking down, "All this is my fault. I couldn't save you and I couldn't save Aerith. You should have just let them have me."

"No," Zack said firmly, eyes narrowed, "How could you say that, Cloud? We're friends, right? I couldn't leave my best friend in that lab."

Cloud looked up and his eyes were bright with tears. "You could have made it without me. You would have made it to Midgar and you and Aerith would have been happy together. You told me that I was your living legacy. And I forgot you!"

"Cloud," Zack grabbed the blonde's shoulders giving him a shake, "Stop it. What happened is not your fault. You'd give your life for Tifa, right? Or the kids? Or any of your friends? You wouldn't think twice about it, would you?"

"No, but I'm . . ." Cloud began.

"If you say you're not worth it, I'll whap you a good one, Chocobo Head," Zack said sternly, "You were worth it to me. And I never regretted it. Gaia, Cloud, you went through so much and okay, maybe you did forget for a little while but I've never been disappointed in you. I'm sorry I put so much pressure on you. If I knew you'd take my words the way you did I'd never have said them. But, you _were_ my living legacy. One of I was very proud of."

Cloud searched Zack's eyes. "You were never disappointed in me? Even when I let her die?"

"You didn't let her die," Zack corrected, "You did everything you could to save her. Aerith loves you, Cloud. She wants you to be happy. I thought you'd gotten through all this."

"So did I," Cloud admitted, "It's just . . .." He trailed off helplessly.

"I know," Zack comforted, "This is all a lot. But I need you to stop beating yourself up."

"I need you to live," Cloud retorted.

"What?" Zack was confused, "I am alive."

"I said I needed you to _live_, Zack," Cloud pressed, "You're here and I need to know that you're happy here. I hate it when you look back."

Now Zack looked down. "I'm working on it, Spiky. But," he looked up, "I promise that I'm not going to do anything stupid or try to get back into the Lifestream any earlier than fate wills. Is that enough for now?"

"Yeah," Cloud nodded, "It's enough. For now."

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Though Callandra slipped easily into sleep, the warm blackness of rest evaded her. Instead, she found herself in a dimly lit place, the light a mere shadow against the darkness. The air around her was chilling and there was nothing for as far as she could see.

"What are you doing, Callandra?"

The girl froze, her heart leaping to her throat. She knew that voice. It was familiar and cherished. Slowly, she turned, her breath hitching in her chest. "Oh, Gaia. _Sephiroth._"

"It has been a long time," Sephiroth said, his tone and face neutral.

"Sephiroth!" Callandra willed her body to move and threw herself across the distance. Her arms locked around his waist, breathing in the scent that was uniquely him. She nuzzled his jacket aside so she could press her cheek to his skin. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and she sighed. "This is a dream isn't it?"

"No," Sephiroth said, voice warming. "This is quite real." He trailed one hand over her hair.

"I've missed you _so much_," she choked, blinking against the tears.

"Have you?" Sephiroth's voice became cold, "How could you miss me and ally yourself with my enemies?"

Dread squeezing her windpipe, Callandra slowly lifted her head to meet Sephiroth's gaze. "That's not true . . ."

"Isn't it?" Sephiroth challenged, "Are you not aboard Cid Highwind's ship? Cloud is with you isn't he? I've been watching you, Callandra. You are very friendly with both Avalanche and the remnants of Shinra."

"It's not what you think," Callandra shook her head, "It's not that simple."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Sephiroth dropped his arms, stepping out of her embrace, "After all, you refused to help me when I needed you."

"You wanted me to help you destroy the planet," Callandra snapped, "You wanted me to kill people who never did anything to either of us."

"What about Mother?" Sephiroth retorted, "Humans are inferior."

"First off," Callandra growled, "Jenova is not my mother. She's not yours either. And you and I _are_ human."

"Don't insult me," Sephiroth sneered, "You've betrayed me. You watched as my enemies destroyed me. You never loved me."

Gasping, Callandra staggered back. "That's not true! I love you!" She stepped forward and took one of Sephiroth's hands in both of hers. "I just couldn't do what you asked, Sephiroth. So many people died and no amount of hatred of what was done to us could ever make the ends justify the means. Please, Sephiroth, let go of your anger. Cloud and the others . . . they're good people."

Sephiroth yanked his hand from hers, grabbing her roughly by the arms. His grip was hard enough to cause bruises. "You are the worst kind of betrayer, Callandra. You never loved me. And I no longer hold any regard for you."

The tears fell then, and Callandra stood limply, too stunned and hurt to fight back. "Sephiroth . . .please . . .I love you."

"Lies. You may as well have killed me yourself," Sephiroth growled, shaking her, "I forgave you your weakness the first time, but I cannot forgive this betrayal. You are just as much to blame as they are."

Callandra could only cry and stare up in horror at the man she loved. She felt something inside her crack, could feel one piece fall and then another. She shivered.

"Enough Sephiroth!"

Warmth and light flooded the dim void and flowers sprung up around their feet. Sephiroth scowled and turned his head. Callandra followed his gaze with her own, her heart skipping several beats.

Angeal stood, just as she remembered him, next to a girl in a pink dress with brown hair and emerald eyes. Somewhere, in her pain-numbed mind Callandra realized that the beautiful woman had to be Aerith.

"You don't want to do this, Sephiroth," Angeal said, walking forward, "Have you really lost so much of yourself? Look at what you're doing!"

Sephiroth looked back down at her and something flickered in his eyes. Abruptly, he released her arms.

"Go, Sephiroth," Aerith said, "Before you give yourself anything else to regret."

"This isn't over," Sephiroth said before stepping back and disappearing.

Callandra stared at the place where Sephiroth had stood frozen by pain and tears.

"Callandra." Angeal walked to her, gathering her gently into his arms, "I'm so sorry, sweet."

"Angeal," she gasped, returning the embrace, "I don't understand. How could . . . oh goddess, Angeal, he hates me!" The sobs came harder and she choked bitterly on them.

"Sshh," Angeal soothed, one hand rubbing circles on her back, "He didn't mean it. Sephiroth hasn't been himself for a long time. He should never have brought you here."

"I-I've missed you s-so much!" she cried, burying her head in his strong chest. The strong arms tightened around her and she mourned the touch even as she lived for it in these chaotic moments. These were the arms that had protected her as a child and held her with all the love of a devoted brother.

"I know," Angeal whispered into her hair, "I've missed you too."

"You l-left me," Callandra accused, "I w-would have helped y-you. You _all_ left me!"

"I'm sorry," Angeal said again, sorrow weighting his voice, "I couldn't bear what I had become. No more than Sephiroth could."

Slowly, Callandra lifted her head to look up into the beloved face. "Hojo's madness does not define us," she whispered fiercely.

"I couldn't see that then," Angeal said, "I'm glad that you've proven to be wiser than we were."

Shaking her head, Callandra laid her head back against his chest and cried. She cried until Angeal feared she would break from it.

"I'm going to go tell Zack and Cloud," Aerith said softly.

Callandra looked up again, having forgotten the other woman's presence. "A-Aerith?"

"Yes," the woman smiled kindly, "Don't worry. Zack will be here soon." Aerith disappeared even as Callandra reached out a hand.

"Zack," she whispered.

"I'm glad you've found each other," Angeal said, running and hand over her hair, "I'm glad he was given this chance no matter what circumstances brought it about."

"You were right," Callandra sniffled, "I do like him. I've never known anyone like him." She murmured a protest when Angeal stepped back a bit, gripping her shoulders gently.

"I don't have much time," Angeal said, one hand wiping away the latest tear to fall from her eyes, "But I want you to know how proud I am of you."

"Proud?" Callandra asked, confused, "But all I've done is hide."

"You survived," Angeal corrected tenderly, "You survived when your whole world crashed down around you. And you did so with honor. But now. . . now I want you to live. Don't be afraid of the good that's right in front of you."

The First Class bowed his head placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead. Regretfully, Angeal released her, taking several steps back. "It's time."

"No!" Callandra cried, "Please, don't leave me again!"

"It's not forever," Angeal reassured her, though his own features were pained, "And there's a lot you need to do first. You and Zack are the only ones who can."

Callandra screamed as Angeal disappeared from sight and she felt herself fall.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Zack and Cloud had fallen into comfortable silence, standing side by side gazing out at the land beneath them. They both had much to think on.

"I'm used to Cloud being quiet but not you, Zachary."

Both men spun around at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Aerith!" Zack took a step forward.

Aerith smiled but shook her head. "I don't have a lot of time. Callandra needs you."

"What?" Cloud frowned, "She's sleeping."

"Sephiroth came to her in her dreams," Aerith explained, "It wasn't pretty. Angeal and I interrupted them but well, the damage is done. Angeal is with her until you can get to her."

"Damn it," Zack growled.

"We're on it," Cloud said.

The girl stepped forward and laid a hand on Zack's cheek. The First Class gasped with the realization that he could feel her. "Promise me something. Promise me that you'll try to be happy. Don't sell yourself short for my sake. Promise me."

Zack closed his eyes and swallowed. "I promise. You know I never could tell you no."

Satisfied, Aerith looked to Cloud. "And stop mourning, Cloud. I'm happy. Now you should be too."

Cloud nodded. "I'll try."

Lifting her hand from Zack's face, she stepped back. "Hurry."

The two men watched as she disappeared. Aerith's appearance had shocked them but there were more pressing matters. Cloud and Zack broke into a run, mako enhanced bodies carrying them swiftly through the halls. They skidded to a stop in front of the room in which Callandra slept. They could hear her cries through the wooden door.

Zack nearly knocked the door of its hinges in his haste to get the door open. Cloud was on his heels.

Callandra tossed on the bed, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt, the covers having been thrown to the floor. Tears gushed from her closed eyes. "Please, don't leave again," she cried. Then she screamed a sound of pain and loss.

The First Class strode across the room gathering the woman in his arms. "Callandra! Wake up, sweetheart." He shook her, "Wake up!"

Jade eyes snapped open, staring unseeingly at his face. Then she blinked and her eyes focused. "Oh Gaia," she choked, struggling free of Zack's arms. Once she was out of the bed, she staggered into the bathroom. A moment or two later they heard the sounds of her retching.

Zack and Cloud walked across the room, Cloud pausing in the doorway while Zack crouched behind her as she knelt over the toilet. He pulled her hair away from her face.

"Easy," he murmured. He waited until her heaving ceased and then pulled her back against his chest.

Callandra shuddered in his arms as the gasping sobs tore their way free. Cloud walked to the sink to wet a washcloth, which he handed to Zack.

"Thanks," Zack said, as he wiped the bile from Callandra lips and chin.

"He hates me," Callandra managed between sobs, "He hates me."

"Sssh," Zack hushed, gathering her up as he stood, "It's over now."

Callandra merely shook her head, her sobs increasing until she began to hyperventilate.

"Callandra, you need to calm down," Zack said desperately.

"H-he hates m-me," Callandra cried. "S-Sephiroth. Angeal. Oh goddess, he hates me. I'm all alone. He hates me." The red head began to rock in his arms her hands tearing at her hair.

Sitting on the bed with Callandra across his lap, Zack looked up at Cloud knowing he had to calm her down but at a loss on how to do so. Nothing he could say would make this better. He wished Aerith had told him more about what had happened.

Cloud reached into his belt and produced a vial. "Here," he held it out, "It's a tranquilizer."

"Callie," Zack called, taking the vial, "Ssshh. Easy, sweetheart, Cloud and I are here. You're not alone. I need you to drink this. It'll help you sleep."

"No," Callandra shook her head, "I d-don't want to s-sleep."

"Hush," Zack soothed, "I won't leave you. It'll be okay. Please, drink it."

The brunette pressed the bottle to her lips sighing in relief when she swallowed. The tranquilizer was a good one and in moments, her eyes began to droop. "Just sleep," he murmured, rocking her, "We're right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Resting her head against Zack's chest Callandra listened to the steady beat of his heart. Her breathing slowed as the tranquilizer worked its way through her system. One trembling hand reached up to wrap around his neck pulling herself closer to him. "Zack," she whispered, "He said I've betrayed him."

"You haven't done anything wrong, honey," Zack soothed. "Close your eyes." He kept rocking until her breathing evened out and deepened with sleep.

"Thank Minerva," Zack whispered.

"Whatever he said must have been terrible," Cloud said softly.

"I'll see if I can find out when she wakes up," Zack said tiredly.

"I'm guessing you're staying?" Cloud said.

"Yeah," Zack nodded.

"Try to get some sleep yourself," Cloud ordered as he turned towards the door, "Don't worry, Zack, you'll know what to say. You always do."

Once the blonde was gone, Zack eased himself down to the mattress still holding Callandra tightly against him. Carefully, he pulled the covers up over both of them. "I wish I had as much faith in me as you do, Cloudy."

Looking down at Callandra's tear-ravaged face Zack promised himself he would not fail Callandra like he had Sephiroth. He'd find the right words somehow.

* * *

_Well, another chapter. This one was pretty easy to write. It came to me quickly and I finished it in a little over an hour. Let me know what you think._

**TigerRaiken:**_I'm glad that you are enjoying this story. Also, your suggestion is a good one and I'll see if maybe I can work something in. Thanks!_

**How Cynamin Rolls:**_ Yeah, I knew before I played Crisis Core that Zack dies and I stilled bawled at the end. I like Cloud a lot but I do like Zack better myself. Cloud took time to grow on me but I loved Zack right away. I'm glad you enjoyed my story. And sux is a word in my corner of the country. LOL. Slang but still a word. Hehe. Thanks so much for the review!_

**Shade the Bat:**_ Cloud has too many swords. LOL. Do each of the smaller ones have a name? I've looked everywhere trying to find out and can't find anything. Glad you enjoyed the chapter._

**XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx: **_ Well here's your update. LOL. I'm glad you like it and I'm especially honored that's my story is your first FFVII fic. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the previous ones._

**Oodball167: **_This one came pretty quick. I hope you like and that it doesn't seem to hastily done. Thanks for the review!_


	12. Chapter 12

Cloud walked slowly towards the Shera's bridge. It was still morning and it had already been a very long day. He thought of the devastation in Callandra's eyes with sympathy. Trying to understand her pain, he tried to remember Sephiroth as he had been. Cloud couldn't do it. He had only known Sephiroth as the mighty, god-like General. He'd been too in awe of him to really see him clearly. After the fire, he'd been too filled with hate.

The bridge doors hissed open. Cloud shook his head. Cid and Reno were still at it.

"Breathe, old man," Reno smirked, "This ship is pretty impressive for the clunky bird that it is. But my helicopter would fly rings around it."

"Until I shoot your ass outta the sky," Cid retorted, "And don't call me 'old man'."

Hearing the doors open, Reno looked up from the navigation consol he'd been investigating. The smirk faded from his face as he took in Cloud's appearance. The fighter was paler than normal and his lips were compressed into a thin line.

"What's wrong?" Reno demanded.

"Everything's fine," Cloud reassured quietly.

"Then why are ya so pale chocobohead?" Cid asked, "Don't try to bullshit me. I've known ya too damn long."

Cloud sighed. "I can't really talk about it. Callandra's had a . . . bit of an upset. She's sleeping now. Zack's with her. If you want to know more than that you'll have to ask her."

"What do you mean a bit of an upset?" Reno pressed. When Cloud only shook his head, Reno growled and stalked towards the door. "I'll just find out myself."

"Wait," Cloud grabbed Reno's arm as the Turk passed him. "Fine. Sephiroth paid a visit to Callie in her dreams."

"Have you lost it, blondie?" Reno stared.

"What?" Cid ignored the Turk to look at Cloud questioningly, "You mean like you've said Aerith and Zack visited you?"

"Yeah," Cloud nodded. All of them had felt Aerith's presence with them during tough fights and they all knew they had her to thank for the end of Geostigma but only Cloud had actually seen the Cetra and the First Class since they'd entered the lifestream. Cloud turned his gaze back to the Turk.

"Let it go, Reno," Cloud pleaded, "I can't tell you anymore than that. I guess the things he said weren't pretty but I won't tell you the specifics. I just don't feel right about it. Like I said, it's up to Callandra if she wants anyone else to know. Just trust me."

Reno studied Cloud for a moment then nodded. "You're sure she's fine?"

"We got her to take a tranquilizer so she'd relax," Cloud said, "She's resting. I think that's the best thing for her right now. Zack is going to stay with her until she wakes up."

"I'll wait a bit," Reno agreed, "But now, tell me about how you get visits from dead people."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Zack eyes drifted open as the woman resting against him reluctantly stirred. Sky blue eyes shifted, looking down at the top of her head, which rested on his chest. He knew that she was awake. Her accelerated breathing and the slight trembling of her body gave her away. The SOLDIER remained still and silent, giving her a few moments to process everything.

"Zack?" she whispered.

"I'm here," he said tightening his arms around her.

Ravaged jade eyes slid open as his hand rubbed soothing circles against her shoulders. "How?" she murmured, "How is it even possible?" Callie tilted her head up to look at Zack questioningly.

The SOLDIER sighed, understanding her question. "Sometimes it's possible for people in the Lifestream to appear to people they care about. Not everyone can do it. It's not easy. But those who are attuned enough or powerful enough can slip into the dreams of the living or even make brief appearances in this world. Aerith and I visited Cloud more than once in the past. Aerith came to tell me and Cloud that you needed us."

"Aerith ." Callie thought a moment and the image of a beautiful young woman with green eyes and pink bow flashed behind her eyes. "I remember."

Sitting up, pulling out of Zack's embrace reluctantly, Callie looked down, her gaze pausing abruptly on her left arm. Dark, finger-shaped bruises stood out in blaring contrast with her pale skin. Her right arm bore a matching set. "Shiva," she whispered, trembling increasing.

Concerned, Zack followed her gaze. "Shit," he muttered, gently lifting her right arm to study the bruises. He ran his fingers gently over the marks.

"It really happened, didn't it?" Callie lifted her head to look into Zack's eyes.

"Yeah," he sighed, "It really happened."

Callie climbed off the bed. "At first I thought it was just a dream." She stared across the room at nothing. Her voice was quiet, too even. "But everything was just like I remembered. The way his arms felt around me, his voice, and even the way he smelled was the same."

Zack rose, walking slowly across the room to stand just behind the redhead. "What did he say, Callie? What upset you so much?"

"Sephiroth," she winced, "Is angry because of my connection to Shinra and Avalanche. He said he'd forgiven me for when I wouldn't help him destroy the planet but he couldn't forgive this." Callandra turned, eyes sodden with repressed tears, "He . . . he said he doesn't love me anymore. That I betrayed him. He hates me."

Dragging a shaking hand through tangled hair, Callandra shuddered. "What could I do, Zack? I don't regret not helping him destroy the planet. I just couldn't do it. But I stood by and watched while others destroyed him."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "In Midgar during the Stigma . . . I crouched amongst the ruins and watched. I wanted Sephiroth to win so that we could be together again. I wanted Cloud to win for the sake of the planet and everyone on it. I just stood there as Cloud killed him. I stood there and saw the pain on his face and did _nothing_." She looked down and a sob escaped. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I deserve this."

"No," Zack said, tugging Callie into his arms, "You don't deserve this. I've told you before that you didn't do anything wrong." _Damn you, Sephiroth. You went for every weakness you could see._ "What about Angeal?" he asked, shifting the subject, "He was there too wasn't he?"

"Yeah," Callie nodded against his chest, "Protecting me like always."

"What did he say?" Zack asked.

"That Sephiroth didn't mean it," Callie said, "But . . ."

"No buts," Zack chided gently, "Angeal knows what he's talking about." When the redhead said nothing he asked, "What else did he say?"

"He talked about you a little," Callandra said, looking up at the brunette, "He says that he's glad you have this chance and that we found each other. He always did want us to meet." She looked down. "Angeal said that he's proud of me."

"Then that's what you need to focus on," Zack insisted, "We both know that Angeal doesn't give praise that he doesn't mean."

"I know," she whispered, leaning into him, glad for his strength in this moment when hers had been ripped away. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"What you've always done," Zack said, pulling away so he could look into her eyes, "You go on. It's what Angeal would want and it's what the Sephiroth who was my friend would want. Besides," Zack grinned, "You're too stubborn to quit."

A slow grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she felt a rush of affection for the former SOLDIER. "Yeah," she said softly, "You're probably right."

"Good girl," Zack praised, impulsively hugging her.

Callandra sighed and returned the hug. When Zack eventually released her, she looked down, sighing again as her eyes settled once more on the bruises.

"Why don't you let me heal them?" Zack offered.

"No," Callie shook her head, "I need them. I don't know if that makes any sense but they give me proof that I'm not losing my mind."

"No," Zack smiled gently, "I understand."

"Plus, they'll heal soon enough," Callie added.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Zack asked, cupping her cheek.

Instead of answering right away, Callie thought about the question for a moment.

"Yeah," she said after a moment, "I think I will." She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek just above the scar. "Thank you," she said leaning back.

Callandra smiled at him and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. This wasn't like the other times she'd smiled. This smile was sweet and a little shy. There was still an air of sadness and hurt around her but Zack knew the worst of the emotional storm was past for now.

"You're welcome," he murmured softly.

They stood that way for several heartbeats until Callandra blushed slightly and looked away.

"Well," she said, "We're probably close to Costa del Sol by now."

"Yeah," Zack said slowly, "We should be." He shook his head and continued in a more normal tone, "Why don't you get dressed, and I'll wait outside. Maybe between the two of us we can remember how to get back to bridge."

"Sounds good," Callie agreed.

Grabbing the Buster Sword from the corner where he'd left it, and exiting the room quickly, Zack leaned against the wall as the door closed behind him. He closed his eyes and tried to slow the beating of his heart.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Callandra took her time getting dressed. She pulled on each piece of her uniform slowly. Her face felt warm and her fingers weren't as nimble as they usually were. She shook her head. It was just stress. Nothing more. She finished by pulling her gloves on and placing Dawn and Twilight on the magnetic sheath on her back.

Walking to the door, she found Zack waiting as promised. "Let's go."

They walked in silence through the halls. They glanced at each other occasionally only to look away again when their eyes would meet. Each repressed a sigh of relief when they reached the end of a hallway and the doors whirred open to reveal the bridge.

Reno turned immediately, his sharp gaze settling upon her at once. Glancing at Cloud, Callie wondered how much the blonde had told him. Meeting her eyes, Cloud shook his head once and gave her a small, encouraging grin.

Sighing tolerantly, Callandra allowed Reno to take her elbow and steer her aside.

"I'm fine," she assured softly.

"What happened?" Reno demanded, "All Strife would say was that fucking Sephiroth decided to crash your dreams and that you were upset. What did the asshole say?"

"Not now," Callie pleaded, "I can't go through it again right now, Reno. Maybe later. But please, just trust that I'm okay now and let it go."

The Turk stared hard into her eyes, carefully studying her face for clues. She seemed sad but in control. "Okay," Reno relented, "But I'm here if you need to talk or a shoulder to cry on."

Reno's eyes flicked to Zack. _Though, it seems Zack beat me to the punch on that one. Wonder what's going on there?_

"Thank you," Callie said sincerely. Slowly, she drifted away from Reno's observant eyes. She would not lose control of emotions again, no matter how much it still hurt.

Cid watched her move slowly away from the others to gaze out over the land below. Though she seemed composed, there was a slump to her shoulders and she seemed curled in on herself.

"Hey, girl," Cid barked, "Get your ass up here."

Wide-eyed, Callandra turned to stare at the pilot who grinned. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Cid said, "Now get the hell up here."

Confusion caused Callie to obey, her feet carrying her to stand beside Cid at the wheel.

"'Bout time. Now, put yer hands here and here and you'd better not let go and crash my baby 'cause I'll stick my boot in yer ass girl or not," Cid said, "C'mon. Take the damn wheel."

"It's been a long time," Callie admitted, as she reluctantly placed her hands in the positions indicated.

"It's like riding a bike," Cid dismissed, "There ya go. Now, pay attention." Cid started firing out instructions and explanations.

The bridge's other occupants, crew included, struggled to pull their jaws off the ground. Cid never let anyone fly his ship.

Sensing the eyes one him, Cid growled, "What ya lookin' at? Don't ya'll got jobs to do? If not I'll think of somethin'"

The crew immediately snapped their eyes forward. Cloud, Reno, and Zack however continued to stare. Slowly, each one smiled. Zack decided that maybe he could forgive the pilot for his initial reaction to Callandra. The man had a big heart beneath all that bark.

Reassured, Cloud and Reno drifted off to the galley to find something eat while Zack leaned against the wall and listened as Cid instructed Callie and answered her questions. As they neared the town Cid patted Callie lightly on the back.

"Not bad," Cid said, "But I'd better take over for the landing. Landing the _Shera _is a bit different than landing a helicopter."

"Okay," Callie smiled and relinquished the wheel.

Cid landed gently just a half-mile outside of the resort town. "Well, get yer asses off my ship and get whatever it is ya need to do done so we can get the hell goin'." The pilot glanced over at Callie. "Good job. Now get goin'."

"Yes, Captain," Callie teased, warming to the man's gruff manner.

"See," Cid smirked, looking down at the others, "At least one of ya listens." Impulsively, he ruffled Callie's hair the way he did Yuffie's. Just like Yuffie, Callandra squawked and hastily ran her fingers through her tousled hair.

"Aren't you coming?" Cloud asked.

"Naw," Cid said, "I got some shit to take care of here.

"Do you need us to pick up anything for you?" Callie offered.

"Thanks, kid, but I'm good," Cid waved them off.

Joining the others below, Callie followed Zack, Cloud and Reno out. Cid watched the woman carefully and was satisfied to note that her shoulders were straight and her chin up.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"I should probably check in with my manager while I'm here," Cloud mused as the group entered the town.

"Your manager?" Zack lifted a brow.

Cloud blushed slightly causing Reno to laugh. "Blondie here owns that villa over there. Bought it during the whole thing with Meteor."

Zack whistled as he looked in the direction Reno indicated. "Holy. Mighty impressive Cloudy."

"Why don't we meet there in a couple of hours?" Callie suggested. "We'll get our errands down quicker if we split up."

"I don't know if that such a good idea, Red," Reno frowned.

"It'll be fine," Callie insisted, "The town's not that big after all. If there's any trouble the rest of us are sure to notice."

Against his better judgment, Reno nodded. "Fine, but before we split up, you two are both gonna get a phone. I'll feel better knowing we can keep in touch."

"That's a good idea," Cloud agreed, "I'm not sure splitting up is a good idea in the first place."

"Well," Callie smirked, "Do you want to help me pick out some bras and panties?"

"Um . . . uh no," Cloud stammered turning magenta.

"I'd be happy to help," Reno leered, earning a punch in the shoulder, "Ow."

"You'd enjoy it too much," Callie laughed.

"There's a phone place over there," Zack pointed out, changing the subject. The thought of Callie in nothing but a bra and panties was doing something weird to his insides.

"That's the same company I have," Cloud said, "Let's check it out."

Half an hour later, Callie and Zack emerged, new phones in hand. After exchanging numbers, they split up with a promise to meet at Cloud's villa in two hours.

Zack didn't take long to pick up the necessities. In less than an hour he'd purchased underwear, several pairs of jeans, t-shirts and tank tops. He also purchased a pair of khakis and a pair of sandals. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since that morning.

"Okay, okay, already," Zack chuckled, "I'll feed you. Just wait a minute."

So, purchases in hand he crossed the street heading for one of the many vendors. He smirked realizing how he must look: First Class Uniform, big ass sword, and shopping bags.

Waiting patiently in line, Zack jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder. Instinctively reaching for the Buster Sword raven-haired SOLDIER spun around. He froze. No matter how many years had passed, he'd know that face anywhere. Though rarely seen beneath his helmet, cinnamon stick-red hair and mako-enhanced eyes danced over freckled cheeks. The features of his sparring buddy, and fellow prankster, only slightly older, probably due to the mako.

"Holy, Zack," the man breathed, voice exactly as Zack remembered. "I knew you weren't dead! It's really you."

"Kunsel?!"

_

* * *

_

_Tada!!! Another chapter. My Zack and Cloud muses are cooperating wonderfully. Hope you enjoyed it. Happy Independence Day everyone!!!_

**Shade the Bat:**_ Hmmm. It would have been nice for squeenix to be more specific. That's an awesome sword and battle scenes would be sooo much easier to write then. LOL. Definite sword overload. LOL. Thanks for the help!_

**Myoni:**_ Glad your still with me! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. Thanks!_

**XxXChiharu-Chan-1000-SpringsXx: **_I'm glad you enjoyed it and I have to say that it was a hard chapter to follow. I hope I did a decent job. I'm very pleased that you're enjoying this so much and I hope you continue to do so. Thanks for taking the time to review!_

**KajiMori:**_ Thanks!!_

**Oodball167:**_ Glad you like Callie. I know a lot of people hate OCs. I'm glad you like the character interaction and the scene with Angeal and Aerith. I really enjoyed writing the last chapter. Thanks for reviewing!_


	13. Chapter 13

Callandra browsed the racks, selecting the items she needed. The shop associates eyed her and her twin gunblades warily but a friendly smile and the size of her purchases quickly eased the tensions.

Fingering a light blue skirt, Callie bit her lip. She could count on her fingers the number of times she'd worn a skirt or a dress but she liked it.

"You would look lovely in that," one of the clerks said, "If you'd like I can help you pick out a top."

_Why not?_ "I'd like that. Thank you." Callie added the skirt to the pile and followed the woman.

Twenty minutes later, Callie thanked the woman again and left the shop. Walking across the street, she spotted Zack in line at a hot dog stand. Smiling, she moved to join him, only to freeze as another man walked up behind Zack and laid a hand on his shoulder. Reaching behind her back for Twilight, Callie darted in Zack's direction.

Anxiously, Callandra watched Zack's eyes widen in shocked recognition.

"Kunsel?!"

Zack's brilliant smile eased her anxiety and she slowed her pace as the men embraced, thumping each other on the back.

"Where have you _been_, Zack?" Kunsel demanded as they parted.

"It's a long story, man," Zack said, still grinning, "It's good to see you again."

"They said you were dead," Kunsel said, "I didn't believe it. What the hell happened in Nibelheim?"

"I can't explain here," Zack said as Callie joined them, "By the way, Kunsel, meet Callandra."

The ex-SOLIDER turned with a friendly grin, which faded quickly when he saw her eyes. "Whoa!" He took a step back.

"It's cool," Zack said, hastily, "But again, this isn't the place."

"Why don't we take this back to Cloud's villa?" Callie suggested calmly, "We need to get back soon anyway."

Her reaction bothered Zack. Callandra was too calm and her features showed no offense. Only now did Zack realize that this was a practiced response. Callandra had faced this reaction enough times that she found it natural and inevitable. She accepted that Sephiroth's shadow hung over her and probably always would.

It wasn't fair and it caused Zack's gentle heart to ache. Sighing he said, "Callie's right. Come with us and I'll explain."

Kunsel hesitated but he trusted Zack. "Sure," he said finally, "It's gotta be one hell of a story."

Wanting to show Kunsel that he trusted Callandra and also to offer the woman some reassurance, Zack placed a hand on the small of her back and urged her to walk beside him.

"So, what's been up with you?" Zack asked.

"Well, I made Second a few months after you disappeared." Kunsel shrugged, "Then I finally made First a couple years later. Didn't last long. I got out just after Shinra dropped the plate. Thanks to AVALANCHE the company was too busy to come after me. I just . . . couldn't stay anymore after that. It was too much. Been moving around place to place ever since. I'm currently on vacation."

"What happened?" Zack sighed, "Everything changed so fast back then."

"No," Callie disagreed softly, "Very little changed. The company simply stopped hiding its secrets as well. With the truth came consequences." Her fist clenched against the pain as she thought of those consequences.

"You were with Shinra?" Kunsel asked, "I figured but . . ."

"For most of my life," she said.

"Turks?" Kunsel guessed.

Pausing at the door of Cloud's beach house, Callandra met Kunsel's gaze with a rueful grin. "No. I was SOLDIER."

"What? There weren't any women SOLDIERS," Kunsel spluttered.

"I promise, Kunsel, I explain everything the best I can," Zack said, "Just let's go inside first. Come on in."

Zack tried the knob and found it unlocked. Cloud and Reno were already there and their relief was obvious. However their expressions stiffened when the saw the man at Zack's side.

"It's okay," Zack assured, "He's a friend. Kunsel meet Cloud Strife and Reno."

"Reno and I have met," Kunsel said distastefully, "Turks? You'd better start explaining, Fair, 'cause none of this makes sense."

Sighing, Zack dropped down on the couch making a mental note to tease Cloud about having his own freakin' _villa_ some more later.

"You'd better have a seat," Reno smirked, "This is gonna take a while."

Together, they did their best to bring Kunsel up to speed. Callandra told of her childhood as one of Hojo's experiments and her bond with Angeal, Genesis, and Sephiroth. She spoke in a detached voice glossing over many details so that only what Kunsel needed to understand was exposed. The others said nothing, having no desire to make her vulnerable like that.

Next, Zack and Cloud spoke hesitantly of Sephiroth's fall in the reactor, touching only briefly on their time in the lab, and then moving quickly on to their time on the run and Zack's death on the cliffs. Together, Zack and Callie told of Zack's resurrection and their flight across the wastelands.

Kunsel listened carefully. Though Kunsel suspected Callandra kept many things back, he was not without sympathy for her. He'd seen what Angeal's loss had done to Zack. She'd lost the only family she'd known and had no one to turn to. Yet, it was Zack's tale that caused his jaw to clench as he fought back bitter tears. Shinra had imprisoned, experimented on, and then hunted down like an animal the best person he'd ever known. All this done by the company Kunsel had continued to work for. His eyes shifted to Cloud. This was the boy Zack had given his life to protect. Cloud returned his gaze and Kunsel was satisfied with what he saw in the blonde's eyes. Cloud felt the full weight of what Zack had sacrificed. The blonde's eyes shifted to the raven-haired man and Kunsel saw the affection and the bond of a deep friendship.

"Four years in a lab and then . . ." Kunsel trailed off and shook his head. He looked up guiltily at Zack. "I'm sorry, Zack. I don't know how to make it up to you."

"What?" Zack asked.

"You went through all that and the whole time I was working for the bastards responsible," Kunsel growled.

"It's not your fault," Zack frowned.

"There wasn't anything you coulda done," Reno spoke up, "The Turks tried."

"Damn it, Zack," Kunsel stood restlessly, "You died! You were my best friend and I didn't do a damn thing to help you."

"You didn't know," Zack rose, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder, "I don't blame you. Got that?"

Kunsel nodded as he tried to absorb everything "Still. . . the things we did . . ."

"None of our hands are clean," Callandra said softly, her eyes sad, "We've all done things because of Shinra that we regret."

Their gazes held for several heartbeats then Kunsel nodded. He turned to look at Zack again. "What can I do? I wanna help."

"It's going to be dangerous," Cloud said.

Kunsel grinned, "I was SOLDIER. I can handle it."

"What about your family," Zack asked, "Koyoto won't hesitate to use them against you."

"It's fine. You know my dad died when I was a kid. Mom died of cancer a few years ago," Kunsel said, "There's no one they can use against me."

Zack hesitated and Kunsel looked at his friend solemnly. "I need to do this, Zack. No one wants to see another force like that rise again. I couldn't be there for you then. Let me help you now."

"Thanks," Zack nodded slowly.

"So what now?" Kunsel pressed.

"We're going to visit Zack's parents," Callie said, coming closer. She was aware of the way Kunsel watched her. She accepted it. It would take time for him to come to trust her. "After that . . . well we haven't got that far."

"That's less than reassuring," Kunsel frowned.

"The President and the Director are working on that part," Reno explained, "We're heading back to Edge in a few days and we'll see what they've found out. We'll go from there."

"It'll be good to have another fighter," Cloud added.

"Cloud?" Callie said.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I know Cid's waiting but would you mind if I used the shower first?" Callie asked.

"Help yourself," Cloud nodded, "There should be towels in the closet. Bathroom's right through there."

"Thanks," Callie grabbed her bags and headed in the direction indicated.

"Are you sure about her?" Kunsel pressed as soon as they heard the click of the bathroom door.

"Callandra saved my ass," Zack reminded him.

"She's not what you think," Cloud added.

"Trust me," Zack pleaded, "You don't have to worry about her."

"Hell," Reno chuckled, "If you can handle me you shouldn't have any problem with her."

"Yeah," Kunsel smirked, "But only because I trust your judgment Zack."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Entering the bathroom, Callie spied a radio on the bathroom counter. She quickly switched it on hoping to block out the conversation she knew was happening in her absence.

As often as she argued that she was more than the sum of Hojo's experiments, Callandra still found the suspicious, frightened reaction difficult to bear. They made her feel like the monsters others feared her to be. She didn't hold it against them. Yet that didn't mean it didn't hurt. She just refused to show it. Sighing, she set out her shampoo and body wash and dug a couple of towels out of the closet.

Still able to hear the others and smiling slightly at Zack's defense of her, Callie stripped quickly and stepped under the spray allowing the water to drown out everything else.

Pouring some shampoo into her hand, Callie sought shelter in her memory as she scrubbed her scalp.

_OOOOOOOOOOO_

_Twelve year old Callandra sat quietly in the chair as the Technician prepared her routine injection of mako. As she waited, she studied the man. He had light brown hair and eyes and seemed to be in his early twenties. He must be new, as she had not seen him before._

_"Ready?" the man asked rhetorically as he swabbed a spot on her arm._

_Callie nodded, and took a deep breath as the needle pierced the skin. She knew something was wrong as soon as the substance entered her vein. The mako-fire burning her was too intense, and the stomach cramps were too sharp and came too quickly._

_"W-wait!," she cried jerking away._

_Alarmed, the technician pulled away but it was too late. The mako was already racing through her system, pushed forward with every beat of her heart. The technician watched helplessly as Callandra screamed and clawed at her arm._

_"Something's wrong!" she said, her cry strangled as she vomited blood and mako onto the floor._

_"What is going on here!" Hojo demanded drawn by the noise. Callandra never fussed during her treatments. He wished all his experiments were so poised._

_The scientist quickly assessed the girl's condition. "You fool! You've overdosed her. Get a gurney in here. We have to get her stabilized." As the other scientists and technicians scrambled to obey Hojo's instructions, the scientist glared at the technician who'd delivered the injection. "If I lose my experiment because of your incompetence there'll be hell to pay."_

_Callandra cried out again and Hojo scowled. "What are you idiots waiting for? Get her on the gurney!"_

_One of the techs took the girl's arm to lift her but she growled and pulled away._

_"Don't touch me," she yelled._

_She lifted her head and the mako flared so brightly that her jade eyes shifted to silver._

_Another, burlier man reached for her and she snarled lashing out with her small fist. Already stronger than normal humans, the blow sent the man zipping back into a nearby cart sending syringes, scalpels and other equipment spinning dangerously through the air. _

_"I said don't touch me," Callandra shrieked. She grabbed a lamp and hurled it at one of the scientists, "Get out. Get away from me."_

_"Everyone out," Hojo ordered, "Get Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis in here. Now."_

_The room's occupants backed away as Callandra continued to rage. The pain left little room for thought. All she knew was that the pain was excruciating and that these people were responsible. _

_Hojo scowled as Callandra cried out again before slamming her fists into some very sensitive equipment. The panel sparked then exploded. _

_The fit continued for fifteen more minutes until the three Firsts skidded into the lab._

_"It's about time," Hojo huffed. "One of the imbecile technicians accidently overdosed her." Hojo shoved a capped syringe into Sephiroth's hand. "We must sedate her before we can fix this mess. She won't let anyone near her."_

_Nodding, Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis stepped carefully into the room where Callandra continued her tantrum. One arm wrapped around her stomach as she vomited more blood and mako onto the white tiles. When she finished she sent another cart crashing into the wall._

_"Callandra. Stop. We're here to help you, little one," Sephiroth called soothingly._

_The girl's head snapped up and the anger drained from her face when she saw the familiar faces. "Seph? Angeal? Gen?"_

_"We're here, sweet," Genesis called, pitching his lyrical voice to be as reassuring as possible._

_"It hurts," she whimpered, "I – I don't know what's wrong with me."_

_"You've been overdosed, kitten," Angeal said, "But we can fix it. We need you to calm down though and allow the scientists to help you."_

_"No," Callandra shook her head violently, "I don't want them near me."_

_"Callandra, you're sick," Sephiroth scolded gently, "You must be reasonable. This was an accident. The technician didn't mean to do this to you. Would we let anyone hurt you?"_

_"No," Callandra whispered, "I trust you." She shuddered and vomited again. Weakly, she sank back against the wall._

_Now that she was calmer, the three men approached. Angeal quickly took the disoriented, frightened girl in his arms. "We've got you," he murmured._

_"I'm going to give you a shot," Sephiroth told her, "It'll help you relax."_

_"Okay," Callandra agreed wearily. She was so glad they were here. She couldn't think anymore and there wasn't anyone she trusted more. Genesis ran a hand over her hair and she sighed leaning into the touch._

_Quickly, Sephiroth slid the needle into a vein. Callandra didn't flinch. "There," he said, "You should feel better soon."_

_"We're going to let the scientists back in now so they can help you," Angeal said as she relaxed into his arms._

_"Okay," Callandra agreed sleepily, "Stay with me?"_

_"Of course," Genesis promised as Sephiroth gestured Hojo and the others in._

_Angeal lifted Callandra and placed her gently on the gurney. As the scientists warily surrounded them, Sephiroth squeezed her hand. "One of us will always be near," he said, "There's no need to be afraid."_

_Sleepily, Callandra nodded as the gurney was pushed down the hall. Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis followed closely. Their murmured assurances were the last thing she heard before the darkness took her._

_It was two days before Callandra woke up. The men kept their promise and one of them was always with her. Sephiroth could not be there as often as he wished, for he was the General of the armies and had responsibilities that no one else could perform. Yet, he was with her as often as he could be and had all his calls forwarded to the lab. Angeal and Genesis took turns sitting by the bed and Genesis often read Loveless to her hoping she found the verses as soothing as he did._

_When consciousness returned, it did so painfully and slowly. She felt strong arms around her and heard Genesis voice reading the familiar passages. To the left, she heard the barely detectable falls of Sephiroth's feet. Her eyes slid open and she glanced around her in confusion._

_"She's awake," Angeal's voice came from above her. She quickly realized that he was next to her on the bed and it was his chest she was leaning against. Sephiroth and Genesis faces appeared in seconds._

_Sephiroth brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Welcome back," he said, "We've missed you."_

_OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_

Blinking her way back to the present, Callandra leaned her head against the shower wall.

"What happened to us?" she whispered. Clenching her jaw against the ache, she quickly finished her shower. Turning off the water and wrapping a towel around her body, she stepped out onto the soft rug. Grabbing a brush, she quickly smoothed the tangles from her hair before twisting it into a braid. Fifteen minutes later, once again dressed in her uniform, Callandra emerged from the bathroom.

The boys were lazily sprawled on the couch and in chairs, watching TV while they waited.

"Feel better?" Zack asked when he noticed her.

"Yeah," Callie nodded, "I guess I'm ready when you are."

"Let's get going then," Reno said, standing, "I told Cissnei we'd be there sometime this afternoon. She said she'd kill me if we were late."

"I just need to get my things from the hotel," Kunsel said, "Shouldn't take long."

"Let's go," Zack said, "My parents have waited a long time."

Fortunately, the hotel where Kunsel was staying was only a few blocks from Cloud's beach house. As they walked, Kunsel took the opportunity to observe Callandra. The woman's presence instinctively made him nervous. Yet, as he watched, he found little or nothing of Sephiroth in her. She joked easily with Zack and Reno and seemed to be warming up to the quieter Cloud. He'd just keep an eye on her, Kunsel decided. After all, everyone deserved a chance.

When the group entered the lobby of Kunsel's hotel the ex-SOLDIER turned to his companions. "Just wait here. I shouldn't be long."

Kunsel stepped into the elevator while the others took seats in the lounge. Reno sat in an armchair while Callandra sat between Cloud and Zack on the sofa.

"Nervous yet, Fair?" Reno asked idly.

"Only a lot," Zack admitted.

"It'll be fine," Cloud soothed.

"They never liked it that I joined SOLDIER," Zack sighed, "And look what happened. I can't begin to guess what they'll think."

"They'll think that you're their son," Callie said softly, "I'm sure that in the end that's all that will matter."

"Right," Zack gave the girl a grateful grin, "Thanks."

Soon after, Kunsel came back down the elevator and ten minutes after that they were leaving town. When the group reached the _Shera_, Cid was waiting impatiently on the ramp smoking a cigarette.

"Hell, I thought ya took up residence," Cid grumped, "Where the hell ya been? And who the hell is that?"

"Sorry," Zack said, "We got sidetracked. Ran into an old friend of mine. Ex-SOLDIER like me. Cid meet Kunsel."

"Heya," Kunsel grinned up at the pilot.

"Howdy," Cid acknowledged, "Now get your asses on board."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The closer they came to Gongaga, the more nervous Zack became. Soon he was pacing across the bridge.

"Settle the hell down," Cid snapped, "You're driving me nuts."

"Sorry," Zack sighed, running a hand through his spikes, "How long 'till we get there?" Cid glowered and forced himself to stand still.

"'Bout an hour and a half," Cid said, "Look, kid, I can understand why you're nervous but ya gotta stop before ya wear a damn hole in my floor."

"Come on," Callie said, taking Zack's arm, "Let's go up to the deck. The air will do you good."

"That's a good idea," Cloud encouraged, "I could use some air too."

"Okay," Zack agreed, "Sounds good. At least I won't take Cid with me on my trip to crazy."

"Short trip on both accounts," Reno chuckled.

"Listen here ya little shit," Cid growled.

Zack, Callie, and Cloud quickly left the room while Kunsel smirked and leaned against the wall to watch the show.

"At it again," Callie laughed as the door closed behind them.

"Reno just likes to push Cid's buttons," Cloud grinned.

Laughing, they ascended to the deck. Callie and Cloud kept the conversation light as they gazed at the earth below. Though his anxiety did not disappear, Zack was able to push it to the back of his mind.

"Remind me to call Tifa when we get there," Cloud said, "She'll worry otherwise."

"It won't be long now," Zack said, looking down at the passing landscape. "I can't believe it. I'm really going home. We were here before," Zack looked over at Cloud, ". . . while we were running. But, the Turks were here too and I never got the chance to see them. And then . . . well, you know what happened."

The ship started to drop as Cid prepared to land. "Oh Gaia," Zack whispered, near panicking.

"C'mon," Cloud laid a hand on his friend's shoulder, "We should go in."

Zack nodded and forced himself away from the rail. "Right."

Reno and Kunsel were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. "Was just comin' to look for ya," the Turk said, "Ciss is supposed to meet us at the designated landing point."

Though still scared, Zack found his heart warming at the idea of seeing the former Turk again. Cissnei had been a good friend and Zack was very fond of her. "Yeah," he said, taking a deep breath, "Let's go."

Cid joined them and then ordered the ramp lowered. Cissnei waited for them at the bottom. Zack squared his shoulders and led the way pausing just three steps away from his friend.

Cissnei stared up at him for a long moment. Slowly, a smile lit her face and she lifted a trembling hand to his, running fingers lightly over the X-shaped scar on his jaw.

"Hey, Cissnei," Zack whispered with a sheepish grin. He let out a startled "Oof" when the girl threw her body into his, hugging him tightly.

"It really is you," Cissnie whispered and Zack felt her tears wet the front of his shirt.

"It's me," Zack confirmed, wrapping his arms around her slender body completing the embrace. He waited until Cissnei sniffled and pulled back, quickly wiping away her tears.

"I'm so glad you're back," Cissnei said, "I just couldn't believe it."

"I'm hurt," Reno teased, walking forward, "Ya outta know I wouldn't lie to ya about somethin' like this."

"Yeah," Cissnei grinned, accepting a one armed hugged from the redhead, "Even you aren't crazy enough to dream something like this up."

"Damn straight," Reno chuckled.

"So," Cissnei said, turning sharp eyes to the others, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Uh, yeah," Zack scratched the back of his neck, "This is my buddy, Cloud, I'm sure you remember him."

"Yes," Cissnei nodded, "It's nice to finally meet you, Cloud."

Cloud nodded.

"This is Cid Highwind," Zack gestured at the pilot.

"Hi," Cid said, lighting a cigarette.

"This is Kunsel," Zack shrugged, "He was in SOLDIER. You may remember him."

"I think we'd seen each other around," Kunsel agreed.

"And this is Callandra," Zack said, holding his breath as he waited for Cissnei's reaction.

The girl's eyes widened and she sucked in a tiny breath.

"Long story," Reno murmured, "Need to know and all that shit. We'll talk later but it's all cool. Trust me."

And Cissnei did for she offered the other woman a pleasant smile. "It's nice to meet you," she said.

"Likewise," Callie returned the smile.

"Now," Cissnei said, "We'd better get going. Your parents are waiting, Zack."

The ex-SOLDIER swallowed and Cissnei laid a comforting hand on his arm. "It's okay, Zack. You don't have anything to be afraid of."

Searching her whiskey colored eyes, Zack found only truth and affection. "Yeah, I'm just being silly."

As they walked through the jungle to the village, Zack breathed deeply of the thick Gongagan air. There was a taint of mako though it had faded sharply in the years since the reactor had exploded.

"Cissnei," Zack began haltingly, "The reactor . . . and the town."

"It's fine," Cissnei said, "It was rough for a few years after the explosion but then the WRO stepped in and helped us rebuild. A lot of people died and it isn't what it was yet but we're getting there."

"'We', huh?" Zack teased, though he liked how Cissnei identified herself with his people now.

"This is my home," Cissnei said simply.

Breaking through the trees, Zack stepped onto the dirt roads of his home. It wasn't nearly as bad he had feared. The people bustled through the town and the children played in the streets just as he had. The smell of freshly baked bread and sweets floated in the air. The town's population was smaller and the cemetery was larger than he remembered bearing testament to the tragedy the people had endured. But they had survived and it filled Zack with pride. These were his people and this was his home.

The townspeople watched them curiously but did not approach. They waved to Cissnei and smiled but seemed to understand that this wasn't the time. Zack recognized many of the faces. There was Mrs. White who used to give him cookies and cakes. There was gruff Mr. Plains who had chased Zack and his friends from his yard daily.

Cissnei led them to a house on the same plot of land which he remembered from his childhood. As they stepped into the yard, the door opened and an older couple stepped out. His mother came first, her dark hair dappled with spots of gray but still beautiful. His father came next, older but he stood straight and strong and his blue eyes sparkled with tearful joy.

"Zack?" Mrs. Fair whispered, "Oh Gaia. You're really home."

"Yeah, Mama," Zack said through a tight throat, "I'm home."

Mrs. Fair opened her arms and Zack eagerly stepped into the embrace. His father's arms quickly joined hers and the tears flowed freely from their eyes.

Cloud and the others stood back, smiling with joy that this family had been reunited. Callandra and Cissnei shared a look and their smiles widened as they each wiped away a tear.

Face buried in his mother's hair, Zack cried tears of pain and joy, of discovery and loss, and his heart sang over and over, _I'm home._

* * *

_Well, there ya go another chapter. I'm feeling pretty inspired right now. My FFVII muses are cooperating nicely. I wish my DMC muses were behaving half as well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always thanks for the reviews and support._

**KajiMori:**_ I know I always did love Kunsel. Now Luxiere, I think that was his name was creepy and a little scuzbag. But Kunsel was a good friend to Zack. If he could have helped him he would have. I hope you found this chapter to be enjoyable. Thanks for reviewing!_

**Sadisticxdemon:**_ I'm very, very flattered. I'm really very happy that you're enjoying this so much and hope you continue to do so. Thanks for the review!_

**Shade the Bat:**_ Kunsel was definitely cool and I'm sure my opinion of him is obvious after this chapter. And you gotta love Reno . . . even when you want to strangle him. LOL. Thanks!_

**HowCynaminRolls:**_ Hmmm. I think you're confusing Kunsel with Luxiere who was a total creep. He was all "Let me catch you Zack so that I can reap the glory and I'll see if I can help you out afterward. I totally disliked him. Kunsel was a much better friend. Now, if you stabbed Luxiere I would totally support that action. LOL. Thanks for the review._

**Oddball167:**_ Puppy eyes can excuse almost anything. LOL. I personally had a wonderful July 4__th__ so thank you. I'm glad that you feel the character interaction is natural as I put a lot of effort into it. Thanks so much for the encouragement and the review!_

**TigerRaiken:**_ Cid has his moments. And I got your flashback in there so I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!_

**Mauve Rune:**_ I'm glad you like her. She's very complex in her own way and I'm trying to make her as unique as possible. I want her to seem like a real person. Thanks so much for the review!!_


	14. Chapter 14

Reluctantly, Zack moved back a bit from his parents, smiling when his mother wiped away his tears. "I missed you both," Zack said.

"We missed you too, baby," Mrs. Fair smiled back through the tears.

"It's good to have you home," Mr. Fair added.

"I'm so sorry," Zack said, "I didn't mean to put you through all this."

"Not your fault, son," Mr. Fair said firmly.

"There's so much I need to tell you," Zack insisted.

"We have time," Mrs. Fair soothed, "Don't get so worked up. Now, why don't you introduce your friends and then we'll go inside and talk."

"Well, you've met Cloud, right?" Zack said.

"Of course," Mrs. Fair said, "It's good to see you again, dear."

Cloud smiled. "I'm glad I brought you good news this time."

"This is Reno," Zack pointed out the Turk.

"We've met," Reno said, "Nice to see ya again. It's been awhile."

"Have you been staying out of trouble, Reno?" Mrs. Fair asked with mock-severity.

"Of course," Reno grinned with over-done innocence.

"That smirk does not fill me with confidence," Mr. Fair chuckled.

"This is Kunsel," Zack continued, "He's a friend of mine from SOLDIER. We ran into each other when we stopped in Costa Del Sol on the way here."

"Nice to meet you," Kunsel nodded politely.

"That's Cid," Zack said, "He flew us here."

"That was very kind of you," Mr. Fair said.

"Don't sweat it," Cid shrugged, "Any friend of Cloud's is a friend of mine."

"And this is Callandra," Zack sucked in a breath as he waited for the standard reaction.

Mr. and Mrs. Fair smiled warmly. They'd never seen Sephiroth or his eyes. Callandra managed t timid smile in return.

"It's nice to meet you all," Mrs. Fair said, "Now come on in and I'll get you some of my Gongagan sun tea. And I hope you like cookies."

Herding them all inside, Mr. Fair, turned back to the group, "I hope you're not too tired. The village is having a bonfire tonight to celebrate Zack's homecoming."

"I'm always up for a party," Reno assured him.

Mr. Fair led them into the living room. It was a cozy room. A sofa, loveseat, and armchair graced the wooden floor arranged so that people could face each other while they talked. Flowers and various knick-knacks graced the tables and the mantle. Mrs. Fair bustled off towards the kitchen. Cissnei and Callandra followed.

"May we help you, Mrs. Fair?" Callandra offered shyly.

"Thank you dear," Mrs. Fair beamed, "Please take this tray of cookies in while Cissnei and I get the tea."

Following the sounds of voices, Callie returned to the living room and placed the cookies on the coffee table. She smirked as the male occupants reached for a cookie.

"You better grab one," Mr. Fair laughed, "Or there won't be any left."

"I can fend for myself," Callie grinned, snatching Reno's chocolate chip cookie from his hand and taking a bite.

Reno blinked several times, staring indignantly at his now empty hand. He pouted then grabbed another cookie off the plate while the others laughed.

Callandra took a seat next to Reno as Cissnei and Mrs. Fair hurried in carrying tall glasses of sun tea. Cloud took a seat on the floor and Cissnei eased down next to him while Cid leaned comfortably against the wall.

After everyone was munching on cookies and happily sipping tea, Mrs. Fair sat on the sofa next to her son. She took his hand. "Now, Zack, you can say whatever you want."

Glancing desperately at his friends, Zack didn't know where to start. Cloud smiled reassuringly at his friend then took a deep breath.

"I haven't been completely honest with you," Cloud admitted solemnly.

"Neither have I," Cissnei said, "I hope that when you hear the truth you'll forgive us."

"What are you talking about," Mr. Fair demanded.

"It started when I went on a mission to Wutai with my mentor Angeal," Zack began.

They told the story together, their voices weaving in and out when Zack's voice would falter or they could offer a perspective the others didn't have. Callandra listened, learning many things that had been hidden from her by the three men she'd loved most. Thus, the story flowed from the time of Angeal's disappearance to their arrival in Gongaga.

"Zack," Mrs. Fair whispered, "I never thought . . . my poor baby." She glanced at her husband who seemed to be in shock, gripping the arms of his chair with white knuckled fingers.

"It's okay, Mama," Zack smiled gently, "All things considered, I'm pretty lucky," he looked around meaningfully at his friends old and new.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you everything," Cloud said.

"We just didn't want to cause you anymore pain," Cissnei added.

Zack's father seemed to shake himself. "You know I don't like lies, Cissnei," Mr. Fair said, "But I know your heart was in the right place."

"It's in the past anyway," Zack said, "I just want to focus on the future."

"That's right," Mrs. Fair smiled brightly, wiping away tears, "Now I bet you want to freshen up a bit before the bonfire. You think it's safe to have it?"

"I doubt Koyoto's men have managed to locate us so easily," Cloud said, "We're probably okay for a couple of days."

"You two seem to be handing this pretty well," Reno observed, "It's a lot to dump on you."

"We've had a few days to come to terms with it," Mr. Fair reminded them.

"Besides," Mrs. Fair added, "Zack's home Nothing else matters." She squeezed her son's hand.

"Come on," Cissnei said to Callandra, "You can change in my room."

"Your room?" Zack lifted an eyebrow.

"Cissnei was here so much that we gave her a room of her own," Mr. Fair explained, "She's been like a daughter to us for the last few years."

Cissnei glanced anxiously at Zack, fearful that he'd resent her place in his parent's lives. Instead, Zack only smiled, his eyes showing his gratitude for her looking after his parents when he couldn't.

"Now," Cissnei said, "Follow me."

"Thanks," Callie gave the other woman a tentative smiled. Her smiled widened when Cissnei returned it.

As she followed Cissnei out of the room, Callie grabbed her duffle, pausing to look over her shoulder at Zack. The ex-SOLDIER nodded reassuringly.

Silently, Callie followed the ex-Turk up the stairs until she stopped at one of the doors.

"This is my room," Cissnei opened the door, "Come in."

Inside, the women stared at each other for a long moment. Callandra braced herself for questions and accusations. She'd been aware of how often Cissnei's gaze had rested upon her.

"Thank you," Cissnei said.

"Excuse me?" Callie blinked in confusion.

"Thanks for helping Zack," Cissnei clarified, "If there's anything I can do . . ."

"I've been more than repaid," Callie said softly, "Zack is . . ."

Smiling in understanding, Cissnei said, "Zack's special. I've never known anyone else like him."

"You left the Turks because of him," Callie stated.

"Yes," Cissnei said, "I watched him die you know. I couldn't do anything but sit in that helicopter and watch. It was my fault because I was too late."

"No," Callie shook her head, "Just because you couldn't stop it doesn't make it your fault. You tried. That alone could have gotten you killed."

"I should have thought of something," Cissnei disagreed.

"Zack was unable to stop Angeal or Sephiroth. I failed as well," Callie whispered, "Does that mean that everything that happened is our fault?"

"Who are you?" Cissnei asked, gently.

"I'd rather not get into it," Callie's smile was sad, "It won't set the mood for a celebration. Ask me tomorrow or get the story from Reno. Tonight I just want to forget and enjoy myself."

Cissnei searched those jade eyes. In them, she saw a plea and a promise. "Well," she said, "We'd better start getting ready."

Digging through her duffle, Callie frowned. "I'm not sure what to wear. I didn't really go to many picnics."

"What's that?" Cissnei asked spying a light blue material.

"Just a skirt I bought in Costa del Sol," she shrugged, "I never wear them. It was silly. I should have left it on the ship."

Lifting it out of the bag, Cissnei held it up. "It's beautiful," she said, "You should wear it."

Callie looked doubtful and Cissnei smiled. Despite the twin swords on her back, Callie looked young and uncertain. The former Turk had also seen her look to Zack for reassurance and the gentle warmth with which he had responded. The red head was lonely and having grown up within Shinra, Cissnei understood loneliness.

"Come on. I've got one I'll wear too. I'll help you get ready," Cissnei said.

Surrendering, Callie let Cissnei guide her with gentle insistence.

OOOOOOOOOO

Zack and Cloud had changed quickly. . Zack looked handsome but casual dressed in blue jeans and a green muscle shirt. Also, dressed in jeans, Cloud had chosen a comfortable black tee. They took a moment to debate on whether or not they should wear their swords.

"We could be wrong about them finding us," Cloud pointed out.

"Yeah, but I don't want to scare anybody," Zack said.

"Why don't you leave them just inside the door," Reno suggested, "I'll be packing and your weapons will be close if you need them."

"I'm keepin' mine with me," Cid said stubbornly, "The Venus Gospel ain't as intimidatin' as those hunks of metal ya'll carry but she does the job."

Zack and Cloud looked each other, deliberating. "I'm leaving mine here," Zack decided, "Hopefully, I won't regret it."

"I'll leave mine too," Cloud nodded, "Reno and Cid should be able to cover us long enough to get them if we need them. Cid's right. People won't be as afraid of his spear as they would be of our swords."

Kunsel hesitated then sighed. "Guess I'll leave mine too."

Setting their weapons against the wall just inside the door, the boys joined the villagers. Tables of food had been set up and laughter already filled the air. Children darted between the tables while some of the men and older boys prepared for the bonfire that would be lit at dusk.

"The bonfire is an important tradition here," Zack said quietly, "Every boy is taught how to properly build and light one."

Zack's neighbors quickly noted his presence and welcomed him home warmly.

"Still causing trouble," Mr. Plains said gruffly, though his eyes twinkled.

Mrs. White offered Zack and his friends freshly made muffins. "I'm so glad you're home," she smiled, patting Zack's arm.

The girls of the village flocked to Zack though they cast curious gazes at the others. Zack's parents joined the gathering their joy visible to all. Zack was speaking to his third grade teacher when Cloud tapped him on the shoulder.

"What is it, Spikey?" Zack asked after he excused himself.

"Take a look at what's coming out of your house," Cloud said eyes wide.

Turning, Zack felt his jaw drop. Cissnei emerged followed by a shyly reluctant Callandra. The former Turk was lovely in a denim mini skirt and black tank but Callandra caused Zack to suck in a sharp breath.

A sky blue skirt fell to her ankles, the slit soaring up the right leg to reveal smooth skin and a shapely, toned thigh. Delicate lace danced at the hem. A while camisole dipped low while white sandals graced her feet. It seemed that she had also chosen to leave her weapons in the house though Cissnei no doubt had a gun hidden somewhere on her person.

Zack's feet recovered before his brain, carrying him swiftly towards the women. Callie turned toward him causing now loose hair to sway in luxurious waves about her waist.

"Wow," Zack said, "You both look great." Offering both girls an arm, Zack grinned, "Shall we?"

Taking Zack's arm, Cissnei smirked at the jealous pouts on the faces of the ex-SOLDIER's admirers.

"Hey Fair," Reno called as he approached. The Turk had ditched his jacket and his shirt draped gracefully across his lanky frame. "No hogging both of the prettiest girls here."

"Not my fault you were too slow," Zack teased.

"Gotta leave something for the rest of us," Kunsel grinned as he joined them.

"You're assuming you have a chance," Cissnei said.

"I've been told I'm pretty charming," Kunsel smirked.

"Zack doesn't count," Cissnei fired back.

"Hey! Don't drag me into this," Zack laughed, holding up his hands.

Chuckling, Callie eyed the villagers. Though many of them seemed curious no one seemed hostile or unnerved by her unusual eyes. To them she was just a normal woman who happened to be friends with Zack.

"Why don't you take Callandra around and introduce her," Cissnei said, "Reno and I have some catching up to do."

"Sounds good," Zack agreed, though he cocked a brow curiously.

"I don't know," Callie said, starting to pull away.

"It's fine," Zack said, holding onto her hand, "I promise." He tugged gently and she allowed him to guide her away.

"Now," Cissnei turned to Reno, "Callandra said if I wanted to know about her to ask you. So spill."

"Let's walk," Reno sighed, "This isn't stuff just anybody needs to know." He glanced at Kunsel. "You might as well come along, yo. I hate repeating myself."

Glancing uneasily at each other, Cissnei and Kunsel followed Reno towards the woods.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Mrs. Fair watched subtly as Zack guided Callandra from group to group. The girl seemed shy but relaxed bit by bit. Her son stayed close to the redhead, managing to her Callandra a part of the conversation. Several times Callandra laughed, no doubt at some tale from Zack's rambunctious childhood. When Zack excused himself and left Callie alone by the punch, Mrs. Fair made her way past smiling neighbors to join her.

"Enjoying yourself, dear?" Mrs. Fair asked, filling a cup with orange liquid.

"Yes, thank you," Callie said, smiling politely.

"I hope Zack didn't abandon you," Mrs. Fair frowned.

"No, no," Callie assured hastily, "He said he'd be back in a few minutes. I'm fine, really."

"I wanted to thank you for helping my boy," Mrs. Fair said, "The others have known Zack for years and my husband and I are grateful to them but Zack was a stranger to you."

"Not a stranger," Callie corrected, "Not really."

"What do you mean? I thought you didn't meet until," Mrs. Fair paused and took a breath, "He . . . came back."

"you remember Zack's mentor Angeal?" Callie asked. When theolder woman nodded she said, "Well, Angeal was family to me. Zack and I never met back then but Angeal loved Zack like a little brother or maybe a son." She smiled sadly. "That makes Zack family too."

Mrs. Fair listened to what Callie said but also understood that she held back a lot as well.

"You have a lot of secrets, don't you honey?" When Callanda's eyes widened in panic, Mrs. Fair smiled and patted her hand. "You don't have to tell me. You've been good to my son and that's all I need to know." She gave the girl a brief hug before walking away.

Callie stared after her in bemusement.

"Everything okay?" Zack asked as he rejoined her.

"Yeah," she said, "It's fine."

The more Callie mingled with the townsfolk, the more she relaxed. Soon, she found herself alone and speaking easily with people her own age.

When it was dark and the tables had been cleared, Mr. Fair and Zack were given the honor of lighting the bonfire as the villagers cheered. Mrs. Fair wiped a tear from her eye.

Zack lounged in the grass with his friends as the light flicked across their faces.

"Having fun, guys?" Zack asked, leaning back on his elbows.

"Your folks are pretty cool," Reno said as the others nodded.

"It's a bit hot," Kunsel grinned, "But other than that not too bad."

"It's always like that," Zack shrugged, "That's why we celebrate at night. What about you, Callie?"

Lifting her eyes from the flames, she smiled. "Your home is beautiful and the people are very kind."

Pleased by her answer, Zack sighed. "I was worried about what I would be like since the reactor exploded but I should have known better. We Gongagans are tough."

Someone started to play a guitar and Zack recognized the song. "That's a tradition tune," Zack said, "The elders pass them down along with the folklore through the generations."

"People still like to dance to them," Cissnei added as several couples began moving around the fire.

"Kinda primitive," Reno said doubtfully.

"Reno!" Callie lashed out with her foot, catching the Turk in the thigh.

"Ow!"' Reno glared, rubbing his leg.

"It's not primitive," Zack defended, "It's part of who we are."

"It's just a dance, man," Kunsel said, "In fact," he held his hand out to Cissnie, "Let's go."

"Why not," Cissnei shrugged and took Kunsel hand allowing him to pull her to her feet.

Cloud smirked. "I think you stuck your foot in it, Reno."

"Geez," he held up his hands, "Sorry."

"You should be," Zack grinned crookedly. He sprang up and extended a hand to Callandra. "C'mon. I'll teach you."

Callie hesitated until she heard Reno's low snicker. She slid her hand into Zack's. "Hope you aren't too attached to your toes."

Rolling his eyes, Zack tugged her up then waited as she kicked off her shoes.

Smiling, Callie let Zack swing her into the dance. Her natural grace served her well and she quickly picked up the steps.

Zack grabbed her waist, strong hands lifting her into the air with the dance. As she laughed, he noted how delicate she felt despite the strength he knew she held. As he set her back on her feet, she smiled, cheeks rosy with carefree joy.

Cloud and Reno watched their friends in amusement.

"So what do ya think, Strife?" Reno jerked his head towards Zack and Callie.

"I dunno," Cloud said, thoughtfully, "It's a bit soon to think much of anything isn't it?"

"Maybe," Reno shrugged uncomfortably, "It's just I've never seen her like this."

"Like what?" Cid demanded, lighting a cigarette.

"Free."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

As the evening drifted on people began to slip back to their homes. Zack and his friends were the last ones sitting around the fire.

"Thanks guys," Zack said quietly.

Cloud laid a hand on his shoulder, "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah," Zack smiled, "Thanks, Spike. So, did everyone have a good time?"

"This is a nice town," Cid said, "Hotter than hell but nice."

Mrs. Fair appeared at the doorway of her house. "Time to come in, kids. Put out that fire."

Sharing a grin, the group stood and set about putting the fire. As the others drifted towards the house, Callandra hung back, eyes locked on the star-sprinkled sky.

Today had been special. Though danger loomed over them, Callandra had been able to forget everything. Zack's neighbors had accepted her freely. She had never been this comfortable amongst strangers she was trying to kill before.

Noticing Callie's hesitation, Zack murmured to Cloud, "Go ahead in, Cloud. Tell Mom I'll be in soon."

"Sure," Cloud agreed, dropping his head to hide his grin.

Zack watched Callie for a moment as the moonlight played with the highlights in her hair.

"You okay?" Zack asked, coming to stand beside her.

"Yeah," Callie nodded, "I guess I'm just not ready for the night to end."

"Hey," Zack's eyes lit up, "I wanna show you something. Just hold up a minute."

Jogging to his house, Zack disappeared inside before emerging several minutes later with the Buster Sword and her gunblades. They both took a moment to slip in the straps securing the magnetic sheaths on their back.

Zack grinned. "C'mon."

Bemused, Callandra followed the ex-SOLDIER up a hill and into the woods. She followed in easily, lifting her skirt a bit to keep it from snagging.

Pausing at a stream, Zack said, "We're almost there. I'll carry you across so you don't get wet."

"Thanks, but that's not necessary." Giving Zack an impish grin, Callie backed up three steps before sprinting towards the riverbank. Just before the edge, she leaped, laughing as she soared across. Her feet impacted gently and she turned back to Zack with a raised brow.

Laughing, Zack said, "Guess I shoulda known better. Hold up a second." Easily mimicking the woman's actions, Zack joined her on the other side. "Just a little further."

Walking up the path after Zack, Callandra found herself at the edge of a cliff looking out over the valley below. "Whoa," she breathed.

Starlight flitted gently over Gongaga and the surrounding forest.

"The last time I was here was when Cloud and I were running. Not the best of times," Zack sighed and looked up at the sky, "Before that, when I was a kid, it was my favorite place to come when I needed some space."

"It's beautiful," Callie chuckled, "Actually, beautiful doesn't cover it." She took Zack's hand. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

"You're welcome." Zack brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes.

Neither ever knew who leaned forward first, but their lips met in a sweet but tentative kiss. Zack wrapped a strong arm around her waist while Callie slid slender fingers into his hair.

Separating slowly, they looked at each other for several heavy seconds. Shaking her head, numbly, Callie said, "I can't. I can't do this, Zack." She backed away stepping out of their embrace. "Gaia, what am I doing? I'm so sorry, Zack. I just can't." The last came out as a whisper. Tears glittered on her lashes. She spun and sprinted down the path.

Heart pounding, images of Aerith throbbing behind his eyes, but Callie's taste on his lips, Zack let her go.

* * *

_Well, there you go guys. Finally an update. I'm working a lot more now so things might go more slowly than I like but I'll get there. Thanks for sticking with me!_

**iSnuffles**_**: :-D**_

**Shade the Bat:**_ Glad you liked it!_

**Oodball167:**_ I'm glad you liked their interaction. Sephiroth is of course awesome and I'm very fond of Cissnei. Callie like's Zack and is good to him and that goes a long way with Cissnei._

**TigerRaiken: **_Well, no flash backs this time but there will most likely be more. I think in a situation like this its necessary. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and I look forward to future reviews._


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